In 1891, the First Baptist Church on 79th Street and Broadway was designed by George M. Keister, the architect of the Apollo theater. The exterior of the church was designed with symbolism from the bible.

The original structure had a rather peculiar roof of stained glass. While beautiful, constant leaks proved that this was not sustainable. The roof was eventually replaced with tiles. The towers, notable asymmetrical, represent the Christ and the Church. The taller tower, symbolic of Christ, emits light while the lower tower, meant to symbolize the Church, appears incomplete to await the return of Christ.

The location of this church was the fourth for this congregation. It sits near where its founder, pastor John Gano, escaped an ambush en route to joining George Washington's army.