• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEERS
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE
  • Subscribe!

Grace Church Downtown

SC PICTURE PROJECT Leave a Comment

SC Picture Project / Greenville County / Grace Church Downtown

This Greek Revival church in downtown Greenville was built in 1858 and is one of the city’s oldest public buildings from the mid-nineteenth century still in use. The church was founded in 1831 with ten charter members; the congregation, originally known as Greenville Baptist Church, first built a meeting house-style sanctuary for worship. When Furman University – which at the time was Baptist-affiliated – relocated to Greenville from Edgefield in 1851, the church increased significantly in membership.

Grace Church Downtown

James Simpson of Greenville, 2018 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

In 1852 Dr. James C. Furman, then-president of the school named for his father, the Reverend Richard Furman, commented, “I wish the Baptists of the state would show the same wisdom which the Episcopalians of the low country do in putting up attractive buildings in important places in the up country.” Two years later Greenville Baptist Church formed a building committee and began planning the stately edifice seen here.

Grace Church Steeple, Greenville

Jo Anne Keasler of Greenville, 2019 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

When this church was completed in 1858, not only did membership continue to grow, but the denomination itself gained an even stronger presence in Greenville. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary operated from Greenville until 1977, initially meeting in the church’s first building. In 1882 Greenville Baptist Church hosted the Southern Baptist Convention, and by 1889 it had held eight sessions of the State Convention. In 1890 the congregation changed its name from Greenville Baptist Church to First Baptist Church.

Grace Church, Greenville

Jo Anne Keasler of Greenville, 2019 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

By the 1950s the church had a membership of 2,500 and continued to increase. Such growth mandated several additions throughout the twentieth century, and finally by the 1970s the congregation had completely outgrown the historic building. First Baptist Church built a larger church on Cleveland Street and relocated to the new sanctuary, and those who remained in the older church organized a separate congregation called Downtown Baptist Church. In 2011 the church was renovated and reorganized yet again, this time as a campus of Grace Baptist Church, an Upstate nondenominational church with eight locations across the South Carolina Piedmont. The former Downtown Baptist Church is now called Grace Church Downtown.

Grace Church Downtown is listed in the National Register as Downtown Baptist Church:

(Greenville First Baptist Church) For many years Greenville has been a stronghold of the Baptist denomination in the state, and the Downtown Baptist Church has been one of the focal points of that strength. Downtown Baptist Church is a large Greek Revival structure constructed in 1858. The church was designed by Samuel Sloan, noted architect of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Set upon a high raised basement, Downtown Baptist Church features six Ionic columns supporting a pediment and tall central spire. It is constructed of brick covered with stucco. Numerous concrete steps lead to the portico which has three double glass entrance doors, each capped by a pediment. Above each entranceway is a window with vertical mullion. The side facades have six bays separated by pilasters, each bay featuring a stained glass window. On the basement level there are 8/8 windows and an entranceway. Alterations were made to the exterior facades and interior ca. 1915. Building additions were completed ca. 1914, 1940, 1950, and 1957. By the 1970s many in the congregation felt the need for a larger building. At that time a majority of the congregation moved into a new building, taking the name of First Baptist with them. A sufficiently large group chose to remain in the older structure, and in 1974 they organized as Downtown Baptist Church.

Historic Pictures of Grace Church Downtown


First Baptist Greenville Postcard

Seybt-Lanford Company [public domain], via Wikimedia Commons, c. 1915

Greenville Baptist Discourse

Shelley and Son Books.com, 1858 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

183 SC Baptist Convention

University of South Carolina, University Libraries, 1853 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip: Grace Church Downtown

Where is Grace Church Downtown located?
Address: 101 West McBee Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601
GPS Coordinates: 34.849970,-82.401384
Website: http://gracechurchsc.org/
What else should I see?
Poinsett Hotel 0.2 mile
Old Greenville County Courthouse 0.2 mile
Liberty Clock 0.2 mile
Huguenot Mill 0.2 mile
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
  • Greenville Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina National Register
    Grace Church Downtown Map

    Please Donate

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader contribution, big or small, is so valuable. If you have enjoyed this page or found it helpful, please pitch in. Even donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $ 15.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Donation Total: $15.00

    Related posts:

    Christ Episcopal ChurchChrist Church Default ThumbnailAllen Temple AME Church Paris Mountain State ParkParis Mountain State Park Woodside MillWoodside Mill Default ThumbnailJ.M. Geer House

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Your Email Here

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s historic landmarks for future generations. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $ 15.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Donation Total: $15.00

    Recent Posts

    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill
    • Faris Store

    Our Sponsor

    Footer

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit. If there is no link, contact us and we will do our best to help.

    SIGN UP

    Subscribe here to receive the “SC Photo of the Week” in your inbox! Each Tuesday, we highlight a different South Carolina landmark. Emails include the landmark’s history, its location and a map, and of course, incredible photos!

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2021 · All Rights Reserved