Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-01-27
LANs FOR BAPTIST CHURCH
ADOPTED AT MEETING
First BAPTIST Congregation viii Have
Splendid Sanctuary by End
of This Year.

i A well attended congregational
meeting was held Wednesday night at
the First Baptist church, Rev. w. ID.
AIcCurdy presiding. The significance
of the meeting lies in the fact that
the final steps were taken looking to
the erection OF the new church edffice
that the people of the congregation
have been talking about for the past
year, as told of from time to time in
tho news columns of this paper. But
now things look differently as regards
/ a new church.
After months of conferences dur
ing which time the original plans Of
the architects, Harding & Upman, OF
Washington, were materially changed
/ several times, the architects finally
evolved plans that were acceptable to
the committee in charge and would at
the same time bring the cost of the
church building within the contem-
plated amount to be expended The
report of the committee on plans nd
ways and means was therefore adopt
ed at the meeting and the design and
plans of the architects approved. Rev.
Mr.. McCurdy fully explained the ar
chitects drawings to the congregation
and all seemed to be highly pleased
with them.
The new church is to occupy the
site of the present edifice on the
south side Of West King street, nearly
midway between Maple avenue and
Church street. The building will be
Gothic in design and have a 50foot
tower at the northeast corner. The
materials will be brick. with pressed
brick front and Indiana limestone
trimmings. There will be two main
entrances in front Of the church, one
at the tower corner and the other in
the center. The church will have a
frontage of so feet and depth of 80
feet, with a seating capacity of 400
A basement will be provided for the
heating plant. Am attractive feature
of the auditorium will be an open bap-
tistry of white marble to the right of
the pulpit. Back ofsthe pulpit will be
the choir platform and an alcove for
a pipe organ. The estimated cost of
the edifice is $4,000, and Judging from
the design and plans of the architects
the church will be beautiful architec-
1 tually outside and inside and will be
an ornament to the city
Back of the church will be the Sun
Gay school building, and this will be
erected first. The plans provide for
twostory brick structure 31x47 feet
in ground dimensions. with large
basement for social purposes. Here
the various departments of the school
will have separate rooms and will &C
commodate four or five hundred per-
sons. Connection with the church
building will be had through a vesti-
/ bule, but the two structures will be
separate and distinct
! Work on the Sunday school build
ing will be commenced as soon as the
weather permits. bids for which will
soon be advertised, and hurried to
completion so that the congregation
viii have a place to worship while
the old church edifice is being de
I H4CllsHeu ana the new one eTeClSu.
The building committee that will
have entire charge of the work de-
scribed consists of the trustees of the
church namely. Messrs. Frank s.
Emmert, G.. B. Wiltshire, Louis H.
Thompson, John Ed Seibert and J.
Frank Thompson They viii be busy
'men this year as it is expected to
have the church finished by next
Chrief,nae