Historic First Baptist Church
The historic First Baptist Church is an Italian Gothic design built in 1929. In 1984 a fire gutted the interior and destroyed most of the roof leaving the exterior walls and the landmark bell tower standing. The building was saved from demolition in 1992 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places by former Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard. Terry founded the nonprofit Housing Opportunity Center (which owns the church property) in part to save and develop this downtown Phoenix treasure. This magnificent building has survived many hardships, a major fire, a massive bee and bird population, rain, wind and even an invasion of volunteer trees and shrubs. Despite all this, the solid foundation of this church remains battered but unbowed, standing in wait to revive its past glory. A unique building, with a beautiful rose patina on its fire washed stucco, the church building is located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, just a block from City Hall. It offers a one of a kind opportunity for development of a very special space. With the help of some creative architects and a structural engineer, prospects for adaptive reuse are brighter and more feasible than ever. The current plans would not replace the fire destroyed roof over the sanctuary, but leave the space open to the sky and allow concerts, food service and cultural activities to thrive in a lush urban garden. The historic church has beaten the odds just to survive this far, but its restoration literally from the ashes will rival the mythical Phoenix Bird itself!
Tweet
