First Baptist Church of Ossining

Last updated

First Baptist Church of Ossining
First Baptist Church of Ossining, NY.jpg
West and south elevation, 2009
Religion
Affiliation Baptist
LeadershipThe Rev. Dr. Gordon S. Anderson [1]
Location
Location Ossining, NY, USA
Geographic coordinates 41°9′40″N73°51′42″W / 41.16111°N 73.86167°W / 41.16111; -73.86167
Architecture
Architect(s) J. Walsh [2]
TypeJohn Hoff [2]
Style Gothic Revival
Completed1874
Construction cost$75,000 [2]
Specifications
Direction of façadeSouth
Materials Brick, wood and slate
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHP January 12, 1973
NRHP Reference no.73001288 [3]
Website
Historic First Baptist Church of Ossining

The First Baptist Church of Ossining is located in the center of the village of Ossining, New York, United States. It is a brick building in the Gothic Revival architectural style with a tall wooden steeple built in the 1870s, one of Ossining's most prominent landmarks. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sixteen years later, in 1989, it was included as a contributing property to the Downtown Ossining Historic District when it was listed on the Register.

Contents

First Baptist, begun in late 18th-century prayer meetings, is the oldest religious congregation in Ossining. [2] Founder Elijah Hunter, who also established Ossining, began holding regular prayer meetings at his house in 1786. In the church's early years, masters and slaves held equal standing as congregants. The church was later instrumental in helping establish black churches in the area.

Building

The church lot takes up most of the triangular block at the crossroads where Ossining was first established, between Main Street on the northwest, Church Street on the southwest, and South Highland Avenue (U.S. Route 9) on the east. Ellis Place is directly opposite the church. The block is just south of the intersection with Croton Avenue (New York State Route 133).

On the northern tip of the triangle is a former bank building. The opposite side of Main Street is lined with a row of two-story 19th-century brick commercial buildings. Just west of the church, as the terrain slopes gently toward the Hudson River, the trail following the Old Croton Aqueduct, a National Historic Landmark, crosses Main. Across Church is a large parking lot between two larger commercial buildings. Ossining High School is a short distance to the southeast on the east side of South Highland. Immediately opposite the church are houses south of Ellis and another house of worship, Trinity Episcopal Church, on the north corner.

Exterior

A low cast-iron fence surrounds the lot, shaded on the east side by tall mature trees. The building itself is a one-and-a-half–story T-shaped brick structure on a stone foundation. Its steeply pitched gabled roofs are shingled in slate and pierced by four similarly gabled dormer windows on either side. On the east corner of the south (front) elevation is a tall steeple with the main entrance. The west elevation has a shed-roofed wing. [2]

That facade has a large five-part lancet arched stained glass window springing from a stone belt course. In its upper woodwork are quatrefoils, the church exterior's principal motif, surmounted by segmented limestone. Two fluted wooden colonettes rising from corbels on either side support an intricate vergeboard with more quatrefoils amid it. It hides the exposed hammerbeam trusses of the roof's structural system. [2]

A smaller two-part window at the front of the west wing has a similar treatment to the main window, with a smaller quatrefoil. Just around the corner is a gabled side entrance with projecting roof supported by side brackets and a large quatrefoil in the transom. The four small tripartite arched stained glass windows along the facade to the north are separated by buttresses. At their north another steep gabled projection with quatrefoil and vergeboards shelters a taller, narrow tripartite arched window. At the very end is a smaller, narrower window with corresponding quatrefoil. On the east, a fifth window is located at the south end; otherwise, its fenestration is identical. The roof dormers, on both sides, have vergeboards that form quatrefoils. [2]

Both ends of the rear section are centered around large blind lancet arches with crosses. Below the west window are three narrow windows set in the same wood as the arch; the east side has two arched double-hung windows beneath the blind arch with a third such window to the north and a single-paned diamond-glass window to the south. A vergeboard pattern echoes the arch on the west end; the east end has no vergeboards but a row of corbeled bricks paralleling the roofline. [2]

On the north facade the central section projects slightly. It has a window similar to its counterpart upfront, without the flanking colonettes. Above it are the exposed trusses, without any vergeboards. The two sections on the rear of the cross-section have narrow windows in their exposed basement and a single tripartite lancet-arched stained-glass window in the second story.

Steeple

The first of the steeple's four stages has corner buttresses and two stone belt courses, the upper one serving as the springline for the quatrefoiled transom over the main entrance on the south side. Another course, slightly flared, marks the beginning of the next stage, with a narrow lancet window in the center of each side. Each has diamond glass and some vergeboard in the arch. [2]

Above each window is the beginning of a square wooden central column that divides the two louvered lancet-arched vents on each face, now done in painted galvanized sheet iron rather than brick. Midway up each corner, smaller square columns begin. All rise through the cornice that tops the third stage, where they end in pyramids topped by nested pyramids, the corners higher than the central columns, all echoing the steeple's peaked roof. At its top is a small Celtic cross. [2]

Interior

A heavy wooden double door in a limestone-topped lancet arch leads into the sanctuary. It leads to an interior with extensive and ornate carved woodwork in Gothic motifs set amid plaster walls. A wide central aisle divides the box pews, their aisle ends topped with a trefoil motif. Two narrower aisles run through the side sections from either entrance. The floor is carpeted. [4] The intricate stained-glass windows depict Biblical scenes of importance to the church's evangelical beliefs. [5]

Round wooden columns, corniced midway up, support the ceiling's exposed trusses. Narrower columns support the balcony in the rear, and the three-faceted balcony with the church's pipe organ over the altar, raised five feet (1.5 m) off the floor. Atop it is an 8-by-10-foot (2.4 by 3.0 m) white marble baptistry. The rooms in the basement are used for Sunday school classes, meetings and office space. [2]

History

Elijah Hunter, a captain in the Revolutionary War who founded Ossining, started holding Baptist prayer meetings at his house in 1786. This grew rapidly, and four years later, 33 congregants formally incorporated the church. They continued to meet in homes until Hunter donated the land for a small meeting house on the present site in 1815. [6] During the early years, slaves and their masters attended services. Both were considered full members of the congregation, and treated equally in the church. [2]

The original building was altered in 1834, and again in 1850. Originally the church had no facility for baptisms, so those took place in a small cove on the Hudson River just south of where the village's train station is now. In 1865 the present white marble baptistry was installed. [6]

By that time the church was beginning to outgrow its original structure, and the congregation began considering a new one. Brooklyn architect J. Walsh's Gothic Revival design, with triangles and quatrefoils representing the Trinity and the four Gospels respectively, [5] was dedicated in 1874. It had cost $75,000 ($1.7 million in modern dollars [7] ) for local contractor John Hoff to build. [8] The church was able to finance it purely from donations from the congregation, without taking out a mortgage. [6]

Later in the 19th century the church continued its early tradition of support for the local African-American community. At its centennial celebrations in 1890, an itinerant African-American minister requested the church's help in establishing a 'black' Baptist Church in the village. First Baptist and its congregation responded, and Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church was established on South Spring Street. It continues to hold services today. [6]

In 1916 the church was wired for electricity. Almost a century later, after its 200th anniversary celebrations, the church and donors were able to restore all the original stained glass windows. [6] There have been no significant alterations to the building other than those.

The church today

Ossining First Baptist follows a traditional Baptist creed. "The Bible is the inspired and only infallible Word of God and our rule and guide for Faith, Life and Doctrine", its website says. This includes a belief in the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and salvation through "repentance and faith in the blood of Christ alone". [9]

The church holds adult Sunday school and junior church for children every Sunday, with Communion held on the first Sunday of every month. Services are televised on cable channels in the Ossining area, with streaming video available over the Internet at telemissions.com. During the rest of the week men's and women's fellowship sessions are held along with Bible study groups. The church also operates a thrift shop. [10] Two Spanish-language services are held every week to serve the area's growing Latin immigrant population. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Calvary Baptist Church (Ossining, New York)

Calvary Baptist Church, originally St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is located on St. Paul's Place in Ossining, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Gothic Revival architectural style, considered the best preserved early example of that style in Westchester County. It is also one of the few remaining Calvin Pollard buildings in the state. Built in the 1830s, it is the oldest house of worship in the village. In 1978 it and its rectory across the street were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

First Free Will Baptist Church and Vestry United States historic place

The First Free Will Baptist Church are a historic Free Will Baptist Church complex in Ashland, New Hampshire. The complex consists of three buildings: the brick church building, which was built in 1834; the old vestry, a brick building standing near the street which was built c. 1835 as a school and converted to a vestry in 1878; and the new vestry, a wooden structure added in 1899 to join the two brick buildings together. The church, a fine vernacular Federal style building when it was built, had its interior extensively restyled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, primarily as a good example of modest Victorian church architecture. It now houses the Ashland Community Church.

First Baptist Church of Tarrytown

The First Baptist Church of Tarrytown is located on South Broadway in Tarrytown, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Victorian Gothic architectural style dating to the 1870s. In 1983 it and its rectory were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Zion Memorial Chapel (New Hamburg, New York)

Zion Memorial Chapel, now known as St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson, is an historic Carpenter Gothic style Episcopal church building located at 37 Point Street in New Hamburg, New York, United States. It was built in 1902 as a chapel of nearby Zion Church in Wappingers Falls and became a separate parish in 1983.

Trinity Episcopal Church (Danville, Kentucky) United States historic place

Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville, Kentucky was one of the first churches organized in the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky. Trinity Church is the oldest in-use church structure in Danville and the oldest continuously used Episcopal church building in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington as well as the second oldest in Kentucky. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Second Baptist Church (Poughkeepsie, New York)

The Second Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, is located at the corner of Vassar and Mill streets. It is a wooden building from the late 1830s in the Greek Revival architectural style, the only remaining church in the city in that style.

Hyde Park Reformed Dutch Church

Hyde Park Dutch Reformed Church is located on US 9 in the center of Hyde Park, New York, United States, just north of the post office and the junction with Market Street at the center of town. It is a complex of several buildings on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) lot.

First Presbyterian Church (Batavia, New York)

The First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, New York, United States, is located at East Main and Liberty streets. It is a joined complex of several buildings. The main one, the church's sanctuary, is a limestone Gothic Revival structure built in the mid-19th century. Its congregation was the first church to be organized in Batavia, albeit as a Congregationalist group at that time.

St. Marks Episcopal Church (Hoosick Falls, New York)

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is located on Main Street in Hoosick Falls, New York, United States. It is a mid-19th century brick building. The congregation itself was founded in the 1830s.

Dunstan Methodist Episcopal Church United States historic place

The West Scarborough United Methodist Church, also known as the Dunstan Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic church on U.S. Route 1 in Scarborough, Maine. The church building, built in 1839 and extensively altered in 1907, is one of the few surviving works of Maine architect and artist Harry Hayman Cochrane. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 for its architectural significance.

St. Pauls Church and Rectory United States historic place

St. Paul's Church and Rectory is an historic Episcopal church at 279 Congress Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1868 for a newly established congregation, it is a fine local example of Gothic Revival architecture, designed by English architect George Browne Pelham. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The present pastor is Rev. Samuel L. Logan.

Damariscotta Baptist Church United States historic place

Damariscotta Baptist Church is a historic church at 4 Bristol Road in Damariscotta, Maine. Built in 1843-47 and restyled in 1891, it is a well-preserved example of Greek Revival and Colonial Revival architecture. The building also played a role in the formation of the town, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Georgia Plain Baptist Church United States historic place

The Georgia Plain Baptist Church is a historic church at 1493 Stonebridge Road in Georgia, Vermont. Built in 1877 for a congregation established in 1793, it is a well-preserved example of High Gothic Victorian architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The congregation is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Chapel Hill Bible Church

Chapel Hill Bible Church, formerly Amity Baptist Church, is a Baptist house of worship located off Bingham Road near Marlboro, New York, United States. It is a small wooden building in the Picturesque mode of the Gothic Revival architectural style dating to the mid-19th century. In 2005 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the southernmost property on the Register in Ulster County.

Tompkins Corners United Methodist Church

Tompkins Corners United Methodist Church - now known as the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center - is located along Peekskill Hollow Road in Putnam Valley, New York, United States. It is a wooden frame structure built in the 1890s. In 1983 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the only property exclusively in Putnam Valley to so far receive that distinction.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Amenia Union, New York)

St. Thomas' Episcopal Church is located on Leedsville Road in Amenia Union, New York, United States. It is a mid-19th century brick church designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival architectural style, built for a congregation organized shortly before.

First Presbyterian Church of Margaretville

The First Presbyterian Church of Margaretville, now Margaretville New Kingston Presbyterian Church, is located on Orchard Street in Margaretville, New York, United States. It is an ornate wooden church built late in the 19th century.

Wesley Uniting Church, Toowoomba

Wesley Uniting Church is a heritage-listed former church at 54 Neil Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Willoughby Powell and built from 1877 to 1924. It is also known as Wesleyan Methodist Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 10 May 1997.

St Thomas Anglican Church, Toowong

St Thomas' Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 69 High Street, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built in 1877 by Henry Pears. It was also known as St Thomas' Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Albemarle Baptist Church, Scarborough Baptist church in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England

Albemarle Baptist Church is a Grade II listed church located on Albemarle Crescent, central Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style by the Bradford architect Henry Francis Lockwood, and opened in 1867.

References

  1. ↑ "Our Pastor". First Baptist Church of Ossining. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Steven S. Levy (December 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Registration:First Baptist Church of Ossining". U.S. National Archives . Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Virtual tour". First Baptist Church of Ossining. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Windows of First Baptist Church". First Baptist Church of Ossining. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rojas, Marcela (November 12, 2010). "Ossining's First Baptist Church celebrates 220th anniversary". The Journal News . Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  7. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ "History". First Baptist Church of Ossining. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  9. ↑ "What We Believe". First Baptist Church of Ossining. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Schedule". First Baptist Church of Ossining. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.