Boerum Hill in Brooklyn in Kings County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Baptist Temple
360 Schermerhorn Street
Home of Brooklyn's first Baptist Church
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1995
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1995.
Location. 40° 41.187′ N, 73° 58.805′ W. Marker is in Brooklyn, New York, in Kings County. It is in Boerum Hill. It is on 3rd Avenue just south of Schermerhorn Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 360 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn NY 11217, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, the Western Hemisphere, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Did You Know? (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Did You Know? (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Did You Know? (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Did You Know? (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Did You Know? (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Did You Know? (about 600 feet away); Brooklyn Academy of Music
this page online
Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the building.
This form was prepared in 1995 by Peter D. Shaver, Program Analyst with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. The statement of significance begins on page 10:
The Baptist Temple is significant under National Register criteria C as a building embodying the distinctive characteristics of a church designed in the Romanesque Revival style with an auditorium plan, a layout popular for Protestant churches in the nineteenth century. The church was designed by Brooklyn's oldest Baptist congregation and was erected on a prominent, centrally located site that would be convenient to large numbers of potential congregants. The building committee desired a simple building with a large number of seats and substantial space for Svinday school. The Reverend Cortland Myers, appointed as minister of the church in 1893, desired a large, light-filled building with comfortable seats and unobstructed views. After assessing the designs of many architects, the building committee chose the designs of Weary & Kramer. George Kramer was a prolific church architect, responsible for many late-nineteenth century Protestant(Submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)churches and for the popularization of auditorium plan interiors. Begun in 1894, the church was completed in 1895 and soon attracted the large membership that had been sought. Much of the church was destroyed in a fire in 1917, but it was immediately rebuilt. The architectural firm of Dodge & Morrison, also specialists in church design, generally adhered to Kramer's conception in the reconstruction. Dodge & Morrison retained the surviving outer walls and rebuilt the interior and roof. Although somewhat deteriorated today, the church survives much as it was rebuilt in 1917-18.Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 20, 20252. The Baptist Temple (now Next Step Community Church)
The Baptist Temple traces its history to the organization of the First Baptist Church of Brooklyn in 1823. This church was the first of the Baptist denomination in Brooklyn and the second on Long Island. The first church structure was erected by this congregation in 1826 on Pearl Street between Nassau and Concord streets, in an area now located near the ramps of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The congregation soon erected a second building on a nearby Nassau Street site. This was destroyed by fire in 1848, but was replaced almost immediately by an Early Romanesque Revival building designed by Joseph C. Wells. This church burned in 1873. In 1840, members of the First Church had established the East Baptist Church, later known as the Pierrepont Street Baptist Church, on the corner of Pierrepont and Clinton streets in Brooklyn Heights, erecting a simple church designed by Minard Lafever. By 1873, First Church's location was becoming increasingly industrial and the congregation reunited with the Pierrepont Street congregation, moving to the Brooklyn Heights building. Six years later a larger church was erected on the Pierrepont Street site, but in 1892 this building was sold to the Brooklyn Savings Bank and the congregation was temporarily without a home.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 234 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
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