First Baptist Church & Mizpah Tower
Address |
Jefferson St. Syracuse, NY 13202 (map) |
Area |
Armory Square |
Architect Gordon Wright designed this unique combination of religious
and commercial uses in the Gothic style, typified by its pointed arch.
The details of the facade are purely English Gothic, and the tower is
modeled after that of Canterbury Cathedral. The First Baptist and
Central Baptist churches were organized in 1821, and 1848,
respectively, and consolidated in 1910. In 1912 the congregation moved
into this church. The three floors above the church originally
connected with the hotel rooms of the adjacent YMCA. The vertical is
highly stressed in this structure with its fully perpendicular sides
and numerous finials pointed skyward. The building material is a
pre-cast block.
The Downtown Neighborhoods
Armory Square • Downtown East • Hanover Square
