Evergreen MP Church
The Evergreen church at 4622 Keswick Road began with Sunday worship under a tree near the location where the church is now. The 350-year-old red oak is still standing in a backyard near the church.
On February 13,1895, the church was officially started with 13 members. The cornerstone was laid November 14, 1894, with the Rev J. W. Gray of Hampden M.P. Church preaching. The church was an important and active part of the community.
Because of declining attendance in later years, the church merged with the Roland Avenue Methodist Church in June 1970, and the building was sold as residential in 1971, and officially decommissioned as a church.
Sculptor Tylden Streett
The building sold to sculptor Tylden Streett (1922-2019). He lived in the church till 2013. Tylden Streett remodeled the church to create an expansive studio in the front, with large north facing roof windows, partial open first floor, and a living space in the former events space at the rear of the building. He left many original details in place and re-used wood panels and other details throughout the rest of the house. He also kept the original paint colors on the outside.
For many years his studio was unheated, and in wintertime Tylden Streett would build a large wood frame the size of a small room and would place the wooden structure over the artwork he was working on. He covered it with plastic on all sides to keep himself warm with just a space heater inside.
Mr. Streett had an interesting life as detailed in his obituary.
Renovations
In 2013 the church sold as a residential home, after which it underwent extensive restoration. The new owners restored the inside walls and the beautiful wood floors throughout to their original state, removed the partial first floor in the front room, and re-shingled part of the outside and replaced the roof. They hosted several (community) events in the front house over the years, and would always ring the church bell via a long cord in their bedroom when the Ravens Football Team scored a point, before selling the home in 2019.
The building continues to be a residential home with the current owner continuing the upgrades and restoration of the inside of the former church.