Immanuel Baptist Church
Why it's listed
Immanuel Baptist Church stands at the corner of Park Avenue and Brunswick Street in Rochester, New York. Built around 1925 and dedicated that year, it combines a one-and-one-half-story auditorium with a T-plan, two-and-one-half-story school wing. Walls of clay tile and brick are clad in stucco with half-timbered gables, and steep slate roofs cover the building. A square corner tower, buttresses, lancet windows and a parapet-gable entrance recall English parish churches. Inside, the auditorium has a basilica plan, dark stained wood trusses, a rear gallery and a full-immersion baptistry. German-made stained glass windows, the Healing Window of 1944 and the Learning Window of 1959, are notable features. Rochester architect J. Foster Warner designed the complex, using smaller Tudor elements to blend the large structure into its residential surroundings. It was listed for its architecture because it remains highly intact in design, materials and craftsmanship, despite alterations made in 1957 and later.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church is an intact, highly distinguished example of an early twentieth-century ecclesiastical building in Rochester. It was designed by the Rochester firm of J. Foster Warner, who combined Late Gothic Revival and Tudor Revival elements to express the relationship between sanctuary and school. The building retains a high level of integrity despite some interior alterations.
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 01001566, listed February 5, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 815 Park Ave., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | February 5, 2002 |
| Reference number | 01001566 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-26 |
| Architect / builder | J. Foster Warner |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a religious facility; the exterior is largely unaltered, with changes in 1957 and about 1990, and the school's second floor has recently housed a nursery school. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Park Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.14678, -77.57417 (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 01001566.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6004571
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.