This building was constructed by a Jewish congregation in 1867. The Jewish synagogue moved in 1976 and the building was purchased by a Unitarian Universalist congregation in 1979. Recently this church has been purchased by the Greater Macedonia Church of God. This is the oldest standing brick synagogue in the state.
The Presbyterian church in this area dates back to missionaries sent in 1828. The first congregation was formed in 1832, but it split because of a national level denominational divide in the 1840s. The congregation divided into the First and Second Presbyterian churches and the Second congregation constructed this building which was completed in 1895. In 1914 the two halves of the denomination merged and Central Presbyterian was founded.
Construction of St. Mary's began in 1861 and was completed in the Gothic Style in 1866 after a delay from the Civil War. A fascade and stained glass windows were added during the 1880s. A belfry and steeple were added on top of the previous flat topped tower in 1898. New entrance steps were added in 1904 and during the 1920s a brick veneer was added. A fellowship area was added since 2000. The cathedral's steeple is 180 feet high.
This church was constructed by a Lutheran church in 1850 and sold to Bethel AME in 1866. The building was covered in stucco some time during the 1920s. Church offices were added in 1922 along with stained glass windows.
The St. Boniface congregation was formed in 1853 when there were enough German Catholics to warrant splitting off from the main Lafayette parish. In 1863 the new church bought land for a new building which was completed in 1865. The church tower originally had a flat roof and the spire was added in 1887.
The United Methodist Church was one of the first denominations to send circuit riders to Lafayette and opened five of the first six schools in the area. This congregation was formed in 1851 and the church building was constructed during the summer of 1885 for $15,000. The church, located in the German part of town, was predominantly German and held its services in German until 1919. Concurrent with the language change, the church's name changed from Deutsche Methodist Kirche to Brown Street Episcopal Methodist Church. This was later changed to its current name because of denomination restructuring.
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 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.
The congregation of First Christian Church was organized in 1839. It moved between meeting places until 1914 when it constructed its current building. The church originally had open belfry, but this was removed in 1954. At that time a closed bell tower and addition were added.
St. John's congregation was organized in 1837. The land for the Church was donated by the Pastor, Reverend Samuel Johnson. The first church building was erected in 1838 and a larger building was built in 1858.
Posts
All Comments
