First Baptist Church in Ithaca receives Sacred Sites grant

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has announced 15 Sacred Sites Grants totaling $244,500  awarded to 15 historic religious properties throughout New York State. This includes $7,500 to the First Baptist Church in Ithaca to help fund stained glass restoration.

Known as the “Jewel of DeWitt Park,” First Baptist Church is located in the DeWitt Park Historic District of downtown Ithaca. Built in 1854 with an 1890s expansion partially funded by John D. Rockefeller, the building was designed in a Romanesque Revival style by architect William Henry Miller, the first student of architecture at Cornell University and the best-known and most prolific local architect of the area. Arched stained glass windows depicting saints illuminate the church’s modified Akron-plan interior.  A choir loft adorned by figurative stone carvings hosts a large pipe organ dating from 1932.

Beyond its membership, programming at the church reaches over 4,300 community members yearly. Activities include rehearsal and performances of four community choruses and other musical groups, tween homeschooling days, free community dinners, jewelry sale fundraisers, Red Cross blood drives, cooking in the church’s commercial kitchen for the homeless population who use Ithaca’s Code Blue Shelter, community group meetings, and space rentals. 

“Religious buildings are important because they tell us about history, architectural development, beauty and hold so many communal memories,” said Peg Breen, President, The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “But congregations, including these recent grant recipients, also serve an important role today by providing their communities with a variety of social service and cultural programs.”  

The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private non-profit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for more than 50 years. Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $62 million, which has leveraged almost $1 billion in nearly 2,000 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus, and supporting local jobs.

The Sacred Sites Program provides congregations with matching grants for planning and implementing exterior restoration projects, along with technical assistance, and workshops.  Since 1986, the program has pledged over 1,700 grants totaling over $14.4 million to more than 870 religious institutions statewide, helping fund over $818 million in repair and restoration projects.

For more information on the New York Landmarks Conservancy, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.