Old First Baptist Church building in Augusta, Ga. – the church where the SBC was born – faces ultimatum amidst decay
The fate of the historic Old First Baptist Church in downtown Augusta, Ga., was a major topic at the Jan. 4 meeting of the Augusta Historic Preservation Commission meeting.
The discussion followed the commission’s decision in mid-January to give the building's owner, Joe Edge, a 10-day ultimatum to address the building's deteriorating condition, according to media reports.
The preservation commission determined that Edge had not been performing routine repairs and maintenance necessary to ensure the building’s safety. Code enforcement staff reported multiple code violations, including the church's inclusion on Augusta’s blight list since 2021.
Edge proposed a plan in 2020 to refurbish the exterior of the building and convert the rear into office space and apartments. However, the redevelopment has yet to materialize.
Located at 802 Greene St., the Old First Baptist Church, with its iconic green dome, is listed by Historic Augusta as an “imminently imperiled landmark.” Built in 1902, the Beaux-Arts style building once housed a historic Baptist congregation that eventually relocated. Since then, it has served as a home for various fledgling churches.
The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It was first added to the endangered list in 2014 and moved to the “progress” category in 2017 when a rehabilitation plan was in place. Despite these efforts, the church remains in a state of decay.
Notably, the First Baptist Church of Augusta played a significant role in the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in May 1845. Also on the site, the Baptist Praying Society was established in 1817. The SBC was established when it separated from the Triennial Convention, as American society was divided over racial attitudes and slavery. During the 1845 meeting, William Bullein Johnson was elected as the convention’s first president despite his initial efforts to prevent a schism within the Baptist community.