First Baptist Church

The story

Behind the sketch.

Founded in 1809, Huntsville's First Baptist congregation chose a distinctly futuristic expression for its new home during the city's Space Age expansion. Completed principally between 1962 and 1966, the sweeping modern sanctuary is best known for Gordon William Smith's enormous Cosmic Christ mosaic, affectionately called "Eggbeater Jesus", and its rocket-like freestanding bell tower. Completed in 1987, the 229-foot tower houses a 48-bell carillon. The 1990 Guinness Book of World Records recognized it as the world's largest prefabricated steeple. Its foundation had been laid decades earlier, but the original tower plans conflicted with the approach path to Huntsville's former airport. Together, the cosmic mosaic and soaring tower make the church one of the city's most unmistakable landmarks: an old congregation rendered in the visual language of the Rocket City.

Neighborhood

Downtown

Book location

Page 20