Baptist Temple
Why it's listed
Baptist Temple is a large brick and brownstone church at the corner of Third Avenue and Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn. Built in 1894-95 for a Baptist congregation led by the Reverend Cortland Myers, it was designed by Weary & Kramer, with George Kramer as the actual architect. Kramer was a prolific church designer who helped popularize the auditorium plan, in which seats are arranged in arcs on a raked floor like a theater. The Romanesque Revival exterior is boldly massed, with a rose window, a gabled central pavilion and two corner towers. The auditorium seats about 1,300 people. A fire in 1917 destroyed much of the church, and Dodge & Morrison rebuilt the interior and roof while keeping the outer walls and following Kramer's conception. Only the baptistery and baptismal tank survive from the original interior. The building is valued for its architecture and for its association with Kramer's church design ideas. It remains in religious use and retains a high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the church as a prime example of an auditorium-plan Protestant church by George Kramer, a prolific church architect who popularized that layout. It also reflects the rebuilding by Dodge & Morrison, who kept the surviving outer walls and largely followed Kramer's concept. The building keeps a very high degree of integrity and is listed under architecture and performing arts.
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 95001334, listed November 20, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 360 Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn |
|---|---|
| County | Brooklyn |
| Listed | November 20, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001334 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1893-1918 |
| Architect / builder | Architects: Weary & Kramer; Dodge & Morrison |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Performing Arts, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as somewhat deteriorated but surviving much as rebuilt in 1917-18; still used as a church. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.68659, -73.98018 (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 95001334.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4857684
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.