First Baptist Church
Why it's listed
Built in 1850 at the corner of North Main and Pine Streets in Fall River, this red brick church with wood trim was designed by Josiah Brown, one of the earliest documented architect-builders in the city and a well-known mill architect. The building follows an early Gothic Revival approach, with a regular rectangular plan, a square tower and a wooden extended vestibule under a peaked roof that the nomination calls its most interesting feature. The congregation traces its origins to 1781 and worshipped in several earlier buildings before buying this site in 1850. The church was dedicated on October 23, 1850, and was enlarged at the rear and repaired in 1871. Hurricane Carol destroyed the tower spire and corner finials in 1954, and the brick has since been sandblasted, yet original window enframements and stone trim survive. The church is still used for worship and is valued for its architecture and for reflecting the mid-19th-century growth of neighborhoods beyond the old village center.
Significance in brief: The nomination holds that the church is a good example of ecclesiastical use of early Gothic Revival style and keeps all its original exterior detail, including window enframements, stone trim and a distinctive wooden extended vestibule. Its mid-19th-century construction also reflects the post-1843 movement of residents from the central village to outlying blocks. It is listed under Criteria A and C.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83000668, listed February 16, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200-228 N. Main St., Fall River |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000668 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Josiah Brown |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a church and described as well maintained; the brick has been sandblasted and the tower spire and corner finials were destroyed by Hurricane Carol in 1954. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 41.70505, -71.15516 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83000668.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5452384
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.