The first, a wood frame building, was apparently not actually built in Butte, but moved there from Rochester, a mining camp on the southern flank of the Highland Mountains northwest of Twin Bridges. By 1905 the Baptists had outgrown it and found need for a new and larger building.
Dedicated April 12, 1908, the new brick and stone edifice was an impressive structure with a large corner bell tower and steeple, much stained glass and a large and very tall sanctuary. Standing n a foundation of cut stone, the church is primarily brick above, with Roman arched windows and belfry openings and a pair of large round windows on the east and south sides. The tower is decorated with corbelling in the brick and modillions under the overhanging cornice, the same treatment being carried over to other wooden cornices high on the building.
With a somewhat diminished congregation, we believe the church now meets in the basement of the building.
First Baptist Church
In 1882 the Baptists established their first church in Butte. By 1890 membership numbered 65 and steadily grew until, at 450 members in 1905, new quarters were imperative. The following year marked the beginning of an unprecedented commercial building boom, and the Butte Miner reported on June 17, 1906, that the week would "...witness the beginning of several splendid structures not exactly in the business heart of the city." One of these buildings was the impressive First Baptist Church, designed and built by Charles Passmore & Company at a cost of $25,000. Triple-arched windows with beautiful stained glass highlight the main tower, whose pyramidal roof dignifies the neighborhood. Comparison of this church and the nearby Mountain View Methodist Church reveals distinct similarities, but window placement and architectural detailing make each unique.
From the plaque at the church