Following Reconstruction , a thorough renovation was undertaken in 1886 . The fourteen-foot wide side galleries were removed and other work was in progress when the earthquake of August 31 , 1886 made further repairs necessary . During the 1886 – 87 period , an alcove was added behind the chancel for a pipe organ , carpet and pew cushions put in , and the installation of stained glass windows enhanced the beauty of the edifice . The tin coved ceiling was placed in the building during repairs following the hurricane of 1893 . The unusual stenciling was applied to the interior walls in the late Nineteenth Century and is renewed each time the building is painted
earthquake of August 31 , 1886
1886 Charleston earthquake
Bethel Methodist Church (Charleston, South Carolina)