Several churches worshipped at the quaint frame building that stood at 4318 Sheriff Road until it collapsed on February 6, 2010, during a blizzard. During the second day of the storm a tree fell on the church's roof, and the weight of it and the piled-up snow overwhelmed the structure. Fortunately no one was inside at the time.

The first congregation to worship in the church was Zion Baptist Church, which moved in when the building was constructed in 1908 and stayed for more than 60 years. Joshua's Temple First Born Church, founded in 1990, moved into the building in 1993.

The church's architect, W. Sidney Pittman (1875-1958), is best known for his design of the 12th Street YMCA, but he also was active in Deanwood. He designed this structure (and the Old Chess House next door at 4322 Sheriff Road) around 1907. Pittman married Portia Washington, Booker T. Washington's daughter, and their family lived in a house he designed in nearby Fairmount Heights, MD, an all-black community he helped to plan. Pittman designed the public school, village hall, and the Mutual Improvement Corp. buildings in Fairmount Heights. Pittman worked in the Washington area from 1905 until 1912.
EXTERNAL CONTROL TEMPLATE

This template controls the elements:

TOP: Top Links (Home, Donate, Events, Contact), Social Network Buttons, Tagline, Tagline Image

FOOTER: Footer Links (Privacy Policy, Contact, Donate), Footer Descriptions

* This message is only visible in administrative mode