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Click to view map Coordinates: | The Methodists in Cape Town erected their first church building in Barrack Street in 1822, followed by a few more. They purchased a large wine store on the corner of Buitenkant and Albertus Streets in 1883 and converted it into a place of worship. In 1897 TULLY and WATERS did alterations and added a school (Pryce-Lewis list 3 799). The Buitenkant Street Methodist Church, as it was known, served the people of District Six until the destruction of the area in terms of the Group Areas Act of 1966. Thousands of people were forcibly removed from their homes but continued to commute here from outlying areas for church services. The church was also a venue for anti-apartheid meetings and a sanctuary for victims of police brutality during the turbulent 1980s. The congregation amalgamated with the Metropolitan Methodist Church on Greenmarket Square in 1988 and formed the Central Methodist Mission. At the same time, the "Hands Off District Six" Conference led to the formation of the District Six Museum Foundation in 1989. The Foundation worked towards the establishment of the Museum, which was launched on 10 December 1994. Submitted by Lila Komnick. Sources: Central Methodist Mission and District Six Museum websites. Books that reference District Six Museum
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