First Baptist Church

"The current church is the third on the site. The first was built in 1831. The present church dates to 1890 when the congregation outgrew its mid-century Gothic Revival building. Matching a $12,000 pledge from John D. Rockefeller, the church commissioned Ithaca's foremost architect, William Henry Miller. He adopted a Romanesque style, based loosely on medieval prototypes and typified by bold, rough-faced stone-masonry, round-arched window and door openings, and an over-all quality of massiveness. The large window in the west wall was donated by Miller, the building's craftsmen, and members of the congregation in memory of the Reverend Robert T. Jones, whose inspiration and fund-raising made this church possible." Historic Ithaca, DeWitt Park Historic District and Downtown Ithaca: An Architectural Walking Tour, 2 http://www.historicithaca.org/