Jacksonville Architecture

In 1838 the Baptist denomination was begun in Jacksonville by six people – four whites and two slaves – under the leadership of James McDonald, who became the first pastor. Within two years, the growing congregation had purchased property at the northeast corner of Duval and Newnan Streets, where they built the first church building in Jacksonville, Bethel Baptist Church. In 1844 they sold the property to the Presbyterians and built a new building in West LaVilla. At the close of the Civil War, members of the church went to court over the issue of separating the black and white members of the congregation. In 1868 a legal settlement was reached, by which the black members accepted $400 cash for their interest in the church property and withdrew to build a new church, which retained the Bethel Baptist name (the white congregation later became known as First Baptist Church, D-34).

After Bethel's church building was destroyed by the 1901 Fire, funds were raised to build a new church, and M. H. Hubbard of New York was chosen as architect. Hubbard's design is inventive and eclectic. The building, as well as the entire surrounding neighborhood, is dominated by the ornate bell tower that marks the church's main entrance and features an octagonal steeple sheathed in pressed metal shingles. A classically detailed cupola tops the central mansard roof, which covers the interior's handsome domed ceiling. Pyramidal roof towers define the ends of the building. Other decorative features include arches, dentilled cornices, and abundant art-glass. Bethel Baptist Institutional Church is architecturally one of Jacksonville's more interesting church buildings and is visually an important link between Downtown and Springfield.