Second Baptist Church (Poughkeepsie, New York)

Last updated
Second Baptist Church

Second Baptist Church, Poughkeepsie, NY.jpg

East (front) elevation and south profile, 2008
Basic information
Location Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Geographic coordinates 41°42′23″N73°55′51″W / 41.70639°N 73.93083°W / 41.70639; -73.93083
Affiliation American Baptist Churches USA
Architectural description
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Greek Revival
Specifications
Direction of façade east
Materials Wood
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHP January 20, 1972
NRHP Reference no. 72000836 [1]

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. [2]

New York (state) State of the United States of America

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state. To distinguish the state from the city in the state with the same name, it is sometimes called New York State.

United States federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Greek Revival architecture architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries

The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture. The term was first used by Charles Robert Cockerell in a lecture he gave as Professor of Architecture to the Royal Academy of Arts, London in 1842.

Contents

A number of congregations have used the building since it was first erected. It was even a synagogue at one point, possibly leading to the nickname Vassar Temple, since it was built on land originally owned by Matthew Vassar, founder of Vassar College. In 1972 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and later became a contributing property to the Mill Street-North Clover Street Historic District.

Synagogue Jewish or Samaritan house of prayer

A synagogue, is a Jewish or Samaritan house of worship.

Matthew Vassar American brewer

Matthew Vassar was an English-born American brewer, merchant and philanthropist. He founded Vassar College in 1861. He was a cousin of John Ellison Vassar. The city of Vassar, Michigan is named after him.

Vassar College private, coeducational liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States

Vassar College is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the first degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. It became coeducational in 1969, and now has a gender ratio at the national average. The school is one of the historic Seven Sisters, the first elite female colleges in the U.S., and has a historic relationship with Yale University, which suggested a merger with the college before coeducation at both institutions.

Building

The church is rectangular, three bays by six, with the narrow, colonnaded facade facing east. It has only one story, plus an attic, but appears to have two due to its brick basement being exposed on all but the south sides. The gabled roof has a gentle pitch [2]

Bay (architecture) space defined by the vertical piers, in a building

In architecture, a bay is the space between architectural elements, or a recess or compartment. Bay comes from Old French baee, meaning an opening or hole.

Colonnade covered sidewalk

In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curved. The space enclosed may be covered or open. In St. Peter's Square in Rome, Bernini's great colonnade encloses a vast open elliptical space.

Facade exterior side of a building, usually the front but not always

A facade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually the front. It is a foreign loan word from the French façade, which means "frontage" or "face".

Four pilasters on the short sides, and six on the long, separate each bay. All are sided in flush board. The main entrance is a pedimented portico supported by four wooden Doric columns topped with flat-disced architraves topped by a frieze of alternating flat panels and triglyphs. The entablature is framed by a boxed cornice, and a small round window with segmented frame is at its center. [2]

Pilaster decorative architectural element giving the appearance of a supporting column

The pilaster is an architectural element in classical architecture used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall surface, usually treated as though it were a column, with a capital at the top, plinth (base) at the bottom, and the various other elements. In contrast to a pilaster, an engaged column or buttress can support the structure of a wall and roof above.

Pediment element in classical, neoclassical and baroque architecture

A pediment is an architectural element found particularly in classical, neoclassical and baroque architecture, and its derivatives, consisting of a gable, usually of a triangular shape, placed above the horizontal structure of the entablature, typically supported by columns. The tympanum, the triangular area within the pediment, is often decorated with relief sculpture.

Portico Type of porch

A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cultures, including most Western cultures.

The two main entrance doors have stained glass windows, and there are four larger ones on the longer elevations. All have the same design, of two columns on ornate bases supporting an arched ribbed baldachin-like canopy and ornament. [2]

Stained glass decorative window composed of pieces of coloured glass

The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensional structures and sculpture. Modern vernacular usage has often extended the term "stained glass" to include domestic leadlight and objets d'art created from came glasswork exemplified in the famous lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Baldachin architectural element

A baldachin, or baldaquin, is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over high altars in cathedrals, where such a structure is more correctly called a ciborium when it is sufficiently architectural in form. A cloth of honour is a simpler cloth hanging vertically behind the throne, usually continuing to form a canopy. It can also be used for similar canopies in interior design, for example above beds, and for processional canopies used in formal state ceremonies such as coronations, held up by four or more men with poles attached to the corners of the cloth.

History

The property was first used for religious purposes in the mid-1830s, when a splinter group from the Presbyterian Church bought it from Matthew Vassar's family. The church design is based on a pattern in an 1833 builder's guide. Greek Revival architecture was popular and influential for public buildings, as well as having elements used for residential buildings. The Presbyterian congregation did not last, and they sold the building to the First Congregational Church in 1842. [2] The church's ownership and uses reflected changing demographics of the city.

Years later the congregation sold it to a private owner, who donated it to the local Masonic lodge in 1859. The next year the lodge sold it to Matthew Vassar, Jr. He sold it to a local synagogue, the Congregated Brethren of Israel, in 1868. This use led to it being referred to as the "Vassar Temple", which also referred to its front colonnade. [2]

The Second Baptist Church and the Farmer's and Manufacturer's Bank on Market Street are the only major non-residential Greek Revival buildings left in Poughkeepsie. The rest, such as the former city hall, have been demolished and superseded.

Related Research Articles

Old Whalers Church (Sag Harbor)

First Presbyterian Church in Sag Harbor, New York, also known as Old Whaler's Church, is a historic and architecturally notable Presbyterian church built in 1844 in the Egyptian Revival style. The church is Sag Harbor's "most distinguished landmark." The facade has been described as "the most important (surviving) example of Egyptian revival style in the United States," and "the best example of the Egyptian Revival style in the U.S. today.

Farmers and Manufacturers Bank

The Farmer's and Manufacturer's Bank building is located at the corner of Market and Cannon Streets in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, near the Bardavon and across from the Dutchess County Court House and Old Poughkeepsie YMCA. It is one of only two non-residential Greek Revival buildings remaining in the city.

Montville Baptist Church

The Montville Baptist Church, now known as the Sandisfield Arts Center, is an historic former Baptist church and Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 5 Hammertown Road in Sandisfield, Massachusetts. The Greek Revival building was constructed in 1839 as a Baptist church. After 83 years as a Baptist church meeting house, the building was converted into use as an Orthodox synagogue for 75 years. In 1995 the Sandisfield Arts Center formed as a non-profit to preserve the building. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Lloyd Street Synagogue

The Lloyd Street Synagogue is an 1845, Greek Revival style synagogue building in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the oldest synagogues in the United States, Lloyd Street was the first synagogue building erected in Maryland and is the third oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States. Lloyd Street is now owned by the Jewish Museum of Maryland and is open to the public as a museum in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mill Street–North Clover Street Historic District historic district in Poughkeepsie, New York

The Mill Street–North Clover Street Historic District is located along those streets and Main Street in western Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It is an irregularly-shaped area of 27 acres (11 ha) between US 9 and downtown Poughkeepsie, located on the slope up from the Hudson River. There are roughly 139 historic buildings, and very few new ones.

Franklin Street Presbyterian Church and Parsonage

Franklin Street Presbyterian Church and Parsonage is a historic Presbyterian church located at 100 West Franklin Street at Cathedral Street, northwest corner in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The church is a rectangular Tudor Gothic building dedicated in 1847, with an addition in 1865. The front features two 60 foot flanking octagonal towers are also crenelated and have louvered belfry openings and stained glass Gothic-arched windows. The parsonage has walls of brick, heavy Tudor-Gothic window hoods, and battlements atop the roof and was built in 1857. This church was incorporated in 1844 by a group of men from the First Presbyterian Church then located at the northwest corner of East Fayette Street and North Street in downtown. They felt the need for a new church in that fast-growing northern section of the city formerly "Howard's Woods" of Col. John Eager Howard's country estate "Belvedere" where the Washington Monument was erected with its four surrounding park squares just two blocks from their new building. Franklin Street Church was also located on "Cathedral Hill" in the southern part of the community bordering downtown and across the street from the old Baltimore Cathedral erected 1806-1821 and designed by Benjamin Latrobe. Later in 1882-1886, philanthropist Enoch Pratt founded his central library for the new Enoch Pratt Free Library then facing West Mulberry Street at Cathedral, a block south which was replaced in 1931-33 by a new central library building encompassing the entire block and now directly across Franklin Street from the F.S.P.C. In 1973, the two historic congregations reunited to form The First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church and was centered at the First Church site on West Madison and Park. The Franklin Street building was used by the merged congregation for a time and then sold to a fundamentalist independent Protestant congregation and later re-sold to the present "New Unity Church Ministries". Across Cathedral Street to the northeast was the 1820s era Greek Revival home designed by Robert Mills which later was occupied by the original Maryland Club, an exclusive Southern-leaning dining and leisure society of gentlemen, founded 1857 that was once threatened by Massachusetts Militia Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, U.S.A. when he occupied Baltimore at the beginning of the Civil War on May 13, 1861, and fortified Federal Hill with a Fort and cannons overlooking the harbor and city, "to put a shot into it" if he spied a reputed rebel flag flying or any discontent to declared martial law. The Club later moved to North Charles and East Eager Streets in 1892 and mansion was later replaced by the former Central Building of the Young Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland (YMCA) which was closed in the 1980s and the building renovated as the Mount Vernon Hotel and Cafe.

Orleans County Courthouse Historic District

The Orleans County Courthouse Historic District is one of two located in downtown Albion, New York, United States. Centered on Courthouse Square, it includes many significant buildings in the village, such as its post office and churches from seven different denominations, one of which is the tallest structure in the county. Many buildings are the work of local architect William V.N. Barlow, with contributions from Solon Spencer Beman and Andrew Jackson Warner. They run the range of architectural styles from the era in which the district developed, from Federal to Colonial Revival.

Huntington Street Baptist Church

The Huntington Street Baptist Church is a historic Baptist Church meeting house at 29 Huntington Street in New London, Connecticut. Built in 1843, it is one of the last major examples of Greek Revival architecture to be built in the city. It also exemplifies a conflict between conservative and liberal Christian congregations, having been built by a Universalist congregation and then purchased by a competing Baptist one. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. As of 2017, the church is still in use as a Baptist house of worship.

First Baptist Church (Waterboro, Maine) historic church in Waterboro, Maine, United States

The First Baptist Church, also known as the Old Corner Church, is a historic church at West and Federal Streets in Waterboro, Maine. Built in 1803-04 and altered to a Greek Revival appearance in 1849, it retains significant characteristics of more traditional Federal period meetinghouses. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Church Street–Congress Street Historic District

Church Street–Congress Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Moravia in Cayuga County, New York. The district contains one contributing structure and 123 contributing buildings. It is primarily a residential district and preserves several intact examples from the village's earliest period of development, 1810–1830. Numerous residential structures date to the 1830–1840 period and are in the Greek Revival style. This includes the Federal style Congregational Church (1823). Other churches located in the district are the Romanesque style Baptist Church (1874) and the Gothic Revival St. Matthew's Episcopal Church (1897–1898). The district also includes the Powers Library (1880) building and Moravia High School (1924).

Manlius Village Historic District

The Manlius Village Historic District is a 15-acre (6.1 ha) historic district on the east side of the village of Manlius, in the town of Manlius, New York, about 9.5 miles from the downtown of Syracuse.

Chapel Hill Bible Church 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.

Mechanicsburg Baptist Church

The Mechanicsburg Baptist Church is a historic church in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. Constructed for a Methodist congregation in the late nineteenth century, the building was taken over by Baptists after the original occupants vacated it, and it has been named a historic site.

Second Baptist Church (Mechanicsburg, Ohio)

Second Baptist Church is a historic church building in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. Constructed in the mid-19th century, it is the oldest church in the village, and it has been named a historic site.

Swedish Baptist Church (Davenport, Iowa)

The former Swedish Baptist Church is a historic building located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The congregation was organized in 1883 in the city's Swedish neighborhood and included about 50 people. The building was originally a Presbyterian Church and was moved here from its original location at Eleventh and Scott Streets. In the 1920s it became Second Baptist Church and by the 1930s it was renamed Grand Avenue Baptist Church. The building subsequently housed other denominations, including the Mennonites, and now houses Kingdom Generation Church.

Black River Presbyterian and Ivanhoe Baptist Churches

Black River Presbyterian and Ivanhoe Baptist Churches are historic Presbyterian and Baptist churches located on SR 1102 east of SR 1100 in Ivanhoe, Sampson County, North Carolina. Associated with each church is a cemetery. Among the founders of the Black River Presbyterian congregation were immigrants, from Isle of Arran, Patrick Murphy (1720-1785) and Elizabeth Kelso (1724-1798), who are buried in the Black River Presbyterian Church Cemetery. The original wooden markers for these graves, now in Sampson County History Museum, were replaced by marble stones. The current Black River Presbyterian Church structure was built in 1859, and is a one-story, temple form, Greek Revival style frame church with an impressive pillared portico. The Ivanhoe Baptist Church was built in 1893 or 1895, and is a vernacular Gothic Revival style frame church. The Presbyterian congregation was founded in 1740 by Scots from the Island of Arran and from mainland Scotland.

Pardeeville Presbyterian Church

Pardeeville Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at 105 South Main Street in Pardeeville, Wisconsin. Pardeeville's Presbyterian congregation, which was founded in 1857, built the church from 1863 to 1865. The congregation copied the church's Greek Revival design from the Welsh Congregation Church in nearby Cambria. At the time, Greek Revival churches were rare in Wisconsin, as the style was more common in residential buildings. The church's front entrance is flanked by pilasters and topped by a transom and a dentillated cornice. A pediment tops the front facade, and a louvered belfry and copper spire rise above the pediment.

Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Clarendon, Arkansas)

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a historic church building at 120 Washington Street in Clarendon, Arkansas. It is a modest two-story wood frame structure with Greek Revival features. It was built in 1869 for a congregation organized in 1857. The entire town of Clarendon was destroyed during the American Civil War, and this was one of the first churches built thereafter. The congregation merged with the First Presbyterian Church in 1920, and the building was taken over by the local Masonic lodge, which used it for its own purposes as well as a community meeting center, and also the local library for a time. In 1968 it was rescued from proposed demolition and given to the local Boy Scout organization.

Beth El Synagogue (Waterbury, Connecticut) synagogue in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

Beth El Synagogue is a historic synagogue at 359–375 Cooke Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. Built in 1929, it is the first synagogue in the state to be built in the Byzantine Revival style, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 for its architecture. Originally built for a Conservative congregation, it is now home to Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel.

Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site)

The Shiloh Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church at 810 Sophia Street in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. The church is a two-story brick building with predominantly Classical Revival styling, modeled to some degree after the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg, with later alterations. The church was built in 1890 for a predominantly African-American congregation, whose origins lie in a mixed-race Baptist congregation founded in 1804. That congregation split about 1815, worshipping in a building at this site, and became known as the Shiloh Baptist Church with the construction of a new building here in the 1830s. In 1849 the large congregation again divided, with most of its white members leaving to form the Fredericksburg Baptist Church at Princess Anne and Amelia Streets. Services were discontinued during the American Civil War, and the existing building was damaged, in part due to abuse caused during military occupation of the city. It collapsed in 1886, and the present building was constructed in 1890 as its replacement. However, due to a schism in the congregation, two separate groups claimed the name "Shiloh Baptist", which was resolved by giving the one at this location the name "Shiloh Baptist Church ", which it still retains.

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mauri, Stephanie (May 1971). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Second Baptist Church". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved May 11, 2009.
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.