Category:Asbury United Methodist Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania

The Asbury United Methodist Church was a grand Gothic Church at the southwest corner of 12th and Hamilton Street. The church was a large structure, with it and its offices taking up the block between 12th and Jefferson streets. It was destoryed in a massive general alarm fire on October 22nd, 1972.

Asubry United Church in Allentown began in 1842 when a small house at South 9th and Walnut Streets became a home for their services. In 1872 a new location on Linden Street was built. By the 1900s, the congregation continued to grow, and the church located and purchased a large new site at 12th and Hamilton streets. The new church cornerstone was laid in 1921, and on October 1, 1922, the building, built in the Gothic style, named for Francis Asbury, was dedicated. As the church was preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1972, the church was destroyed by a general alarm fire on October 22. The cause of the fire was never fully determined, however a short circut in the church's organ was suspected as the cause.

In the aftermath, the congregation decided to move to a new church at Springhouse Road and Walbert Avenue in South Whitehall Townshuip, where ground was broken for the new church building in 1974. The current church contains a wall, built of stones salvaged from the church at 12th and Hamilton, recovered after the fire.

In the aftermath, The fire led to the purchase of the land by the Allentown School District, which purchased the former church site at Jefferson and Hamilton Streets on behalf of the Allentown Library board in the Spring of 1974. Groundbreaking was held for the new building in February 1977 for a $3.6 million dollar structure. The contents of the library was moved into the new building during early July 1978, and the current Allentown Library opened to the public on 19 July 1978. It has a large research room, computer access, and newspaper microfilm library.