St. James Lutheran Church

The St. James congregation was formed in 1850 and occupied two different locations before moving to its current building in 1884. The building was constructed by the Grace Episcopal Church in 1872 and at the time of its construction it was considered one of the handsomest churches in Lafayette. Grace Episcopal decided to merge with another Episcopal church and its building up for sale. St. James conducted all of its services in German until 1917 when it began holding a German service in the morning and an English service in the evening.

The church is built in the Gothic style. The carved tracery around the three front doors and stained glass window are characteristic of gothic architecture. The west (left) tower also has elaborate tracery around its vents.

Links

• Gothic architecture
• St. James Lutheran Church
• St. John's Episcopalian Church
  

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Sons of Abraham Synagogue

The first Jewish congregation in Lafayette organized in the 1840s and officially formed into an orthodox congregation in 1889. This building was constructed in 1904 and was a cross between modern and traditional architecture at the time it was created. The stain glass window above the entry shows a menorah during daylight and a kiddush cup during the nighttime due to the coloring of the glass.

Links

• Sons of Abraham Synagogue
  

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First Baptist Church

The First Baptist congregation was organized in 1835 when there were around 1000 baptists living in Lafayette. The church held baptisms in a canal by the Wabash River from 1855 until the completion of the current church building. Construction of the church began in 1869 and was completed in 1872. Later an 18 stop tractor-action pipe organ built by Hook & Hastings Organ Company was purchased which was equivalent in cost to the building of the entire church. In 1921 the spires on top of both towers were removed--the taller of which had reached 210 feet into the air-- and replaced with the current parapets.

The church is built in the Norman Gothic style. The corbels, tall thin columns, round arches, and quatrefoil window are all characteristics of Norman Gothic architecture. The interior of the church has stained glass windows and walnut woodwork.

Links

• First Baptist Church
• Norman architecture
• Gothic architecture
  

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