Description of Historic Place

First Moncton United Baptist Church is located on the corner of Church Street and Queen Street in Moncton. It consists of an early 20th century brown sandstone Gothic Revival church.

Heritage Value

First Moncton United Baptist Church is designated a Local Historic Place for its Gothic Revival architecture and for its importance in Moncton’s religious history.

A building committee was created the night a fire destroyed the original wooden church in 1913 and the new stone church was completed in 1915. The committee hired C. B. Chapell of Prince Edward Island as architect and Moncton’s James Reid & Son as contractor. Their combined efforts resulted in a brown sandstone structure that is still one of the best examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the city. The interior design makes use of several pillar styles, lath coffered ceilings and extensive wainscoting. The centerpiece of the chancel area is the coffer paneled Casavant pipe organ.

First Moncton United Baptist Church is also designated for its importance in Moncton’s religious history. The congregation was first organized by Rev. Joseph Crandall in 1828 and has served the religious and community needs of Moncton ever since. The initial donations from the community following the fire in 1913 were not only from within the Baptist denomination. This spirit of community was apparent when, at the dedication of the new stone church, George O. Spencer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, while accepting the building on behalf of the congregation, stated that the church was open “to all”. This congregation has had a church building on this site since 1857. In 1996, First Moncton United Baptist Church was designated a Heritage Property through the City of Moncton Heritage Preservation By-Law #Z-1102.

Source: Moncton Museum, Moncton, New Brunswick - second floor files – “50 Church St.”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to location and context include:
- built on site of original wooden church;
- proximity to two other large stone churches on opposite corners of Church Street and Queen Street.

The character-defining elements relating to the exterior elements of the structure include:
- brown sandstone with coining;
- buttresses;
- cross gable roof;
- cruciform footprint;
- rectangular massing;
- rectangular and triple Gothic arch windows;
- bay on west end;
- stringcourses
- crenellated square bell tower;
- corner stone “Founded 1828. / First Baptist Church 1914.”;
- date stone “1914”;
- stepped parapets;
- stone chimneys.

The character-defining elements relating to the interior elements of the structure include:
- Casavant organ;
- extensive woodwork;
- vestibule ;
- original panel doors;
- original curved wooden pews;
- original hardwood floors;
- Doric pillars and pilasters;
- balcony;
- chancel;
- coffered ceiling ;
- iconic and memorial stained glass windows;
- aisle beams;
- auditorium balcony;
- brick fireplace.