Second Baptist Church (Poughkeepsie, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Second Baptist Church |
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East (front) elevation and south profile, 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | American Baptist Churches USA |
| Location | |
| Location | Poughkeepsie, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| 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 |
The Second Baptist Church is a very old building in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It stands at the corner of Vassar and Mill streets. This church was built in the late 1830s. It is made of wood and designed in the Greek Revival style. This style was popular for important buildings back then. It is the only church left in Poughkeepsie that still looks like this.
Many different groups have used this building over the years. It was even a synagogue at one point. Because of this, some people called it the Vassar Temple. This name came from Matthew Vassar, who started Vassar College. He used to own the land where the church was built. In 1972, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical site. Later, it became part of the Mill Street-North Clover Street Historic District.
What the Church Looks Like
The Second Baptist Church is shaped like a rectangle. It has three sections on the front and six sections along its sides. The front of the church faces east. It has a row of columns, which is called a colonnade. The building looks like it has two stories, but it only has one main floor plus an attic. This is because its brick basement is visible on most sides. The roof has a gentle slope.
The church has special flat columns called pilasters. There are four on the short sides and six on the long sides. These pilasters divide the building into sections. The main entrance has a special porch called a portico. This porch has a triangular top, known as a pediment. Four wooden columns support this porch. These columns are in the Doric style, which is a classic Greek design.
The two main entrance doors have beautiful stained glass windows. There are also four larger stained glass windows on the longer sides of the church. All these windows have a similar design. They show two columns supporting an arched, decorative canopy.
A Look at Its History
The land where the church stands was first used for religious purposes in the mid-1830s. A group that separated from the Presbyterian Church bought the land from Matthew Vassar's family. The church's design came from a builder's guide published in 1833. The Greek Revival style was very popular for public buildings at that time. It even influenced how some homes were built.
The Presbyterian group did not stay in the church for long. They sold the building to the First Congregational Church in 1842. Over the years, the church's owners and how it was used changed. This showed how the people living in Poughkeepsie were changing too.
Later, the church was sold to a private owner. This person then gave it to the local Masonic lodge in 1859. The very next year, the lodge sold it to Matthew Vassar, Jr. In 1868, he sold it to a local synagogue called the Congregated Brethren of Israel. This is why the building was sometimes called the "Vassar Temple." This name also referred to the impressive columns at its front.
Today, the Second Baptist Church is one of only two major non-home buildings in Poughkeepsie still in the Greek Revival style. The other is the Farmer's and Manufacturer's Bank on Market Street. Many other buildings from that time, like the old city hall, have been torn down.
