Big changes are afoot at First Baptist Church, Jacksonville.
FBC Jax has a main auditorium that seats just shy of 10,000 people. At one time, when membership peaked at 28,000, the church held two separate Sunday services, and occasionally, also utilized the church dining room for everyone to have a seat.
Today that main auditorium sits mostly empty and unused while the older and much smaller, Ruth Lindsey Auditorium, is used for the majority of services.
This has led to rumors that FBC may be selling the main auditorium and reforming the church with the Ruth Lindsay Auditorium as it’s spiritual center.
Jax Examiner has learned otherwise. Reliable sources within the church have stated that the main auditorium, as well as several other properties will be sold.
And that rather than the Ruth Lindsay Auditorium being the spiritual center, the Historic Hobson Auditorium will be.
However, the Hobsom would require extensive remodeling and updating to do so. Personally I would love to see the historic stained glass windows which were removed from the Hobson and placed in the church dining room when the Ruth Lindsay was opened, returned to the Hobson once more, albeit on a less somber note.
Many in the community will no doubt be excited at the prospect of FBC Jax held properties returning to the City of Jacksonville’s tax rolls, as well as what new uses the buildings might see.
Jax Examiner sources have told us the full extent of the church’s decision will be made public Sunday September 8, after the membership votes to make it official, or not.
Some historical background on the Hobson follows, courtsey of Jacksonville Historical Society
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
133 WEST CHURCH STREET
DATE: 1903
ARCHITECT: H. J. Klutho
BUILDER: Owens Building Company
This church is a direct descendent of the first Baptist congregation which established itself in Jacksonville in 1838. Its members occupied several buildings prior to the construction of this sanctuary in 1903, with the building previous to this one having been destroyed by the 1901 Fire. Although the design of the building is attributed to H.J. Klutho, the architect admitted that “the general arrangement and outline is due to Rev. W.A. Hobson, pastor of the church, who had his ideas drawn to scale by other parties, when [Klutho] was called in to take charge, draw and re-draw such drawings as were necessary to erect the building, but to do it in such a way as not to exceed the amount of money on hand, namely $35 thousand.” Interestingly, another church quite similar in appearance was being built on the corner of Monroe and Hogan Streets. This was the First Christian Church (now demolished) designed by South Carolina architects Walter & Legare and was completed several months before the First Baptist Church. The two churches faced each other across the two-block expanse of Hemming Park and the empty St. James lot. Both buildings were Romanesque in style and were influenced by the famous architect H.H. Richardson’s Trinity Church in Boston. Both were constructed of rough-cut monochromatic limestone with broad Romanesque arches and with square and polygonal towers of varying heights framing the facade. The Baptist church building features an arcade on the Church Street side with foliated designs on the capitals similar to those of Trinity Church. The interior of this building was originally one of its most noteworthy features, with a hand-painted dome and murals by New York artist John O’Neill, which were removed in 1924 when the interior was renovated by Mark & Sheftall.