GSPC Architecture

Architects and historians regard Government Street Presbyterian Church as one of the most beautiful and historical churches in the nation, "worthy of most careful preservation for the benefit of future generations."

In the winter of 1822 the Reverend John Warren was sent to Alabama by the New York Evangelical Society of Young Men. He set about building a church on the present site of the LaClede Hotel, two blocks east of here. With his own hands he chopped logs and floated them down the river to Mobile. The structure was completed in May of 1829. John Warren donated his completed handiwork to the Reverend Murdock Murphy who had founded in 1822 the Independent Protestant Church.

The congregation grew, and in 1836 land on the corner of Jackson and Government Streets was purchased. Henry Hitchcock, a client of genius, and architects Charles Dakin and James Gallier rebuilt the tropical city of Mobile during the bonanza decade of the 1830s into a gleaming white classical revival town.

James Gallier was one of the truly great and outstanding architects of the ante-bellum days in the South. Some of the most beautiful and impressive buildings in New Orleans are the result of his work, including the St. Charles Hotel and the City Hall. 

Gallier was born in Ireland in 1798. He left his native land in 1832 to seek his fortune as an architect in the United States. After settling in New Orleans, he made a design for a Town Hall for Mobile, but because of the fire of 1829 in the city, this building was never built.

The Mobile City Directory of 1837 lists the following: Dakin, Charles B. and James H. Company, firm of Dakin and Brothers, Architects, office, South side Government Street, 5th from Royal.

It seems certain that the Dakin Brothers shared in the architectural planning for Government Street Presbyterian Church in collaboration with James Gallier.

The church building, begun in 1837 and completed in 1839 at a cost of $60,000, originally had a steeple which housed a large clock imported from Liverpool. It also contained the city's first fire bell, but during a storm in 1852 the steeple was struck by lightning and had to be removed, never to be replaced.

The exterior is an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture, with its handsomely proportioned portico and its dignified Ionic pillars. The interior is predominantly white and old gold. The dramatically lighted pulpit area is noteworthy for its four exquisitely carved Corinthian capitals and fine entablature.

Unity of design is achieved by the repetition throughout the sanctuary of the classic motifs of the Greek key, acanthus leaves and lotus blossoms. The ceiling is deeply coffered in a diamond pattern.

The expansive, unsupported ceiling of the church has always been a source of special interest. No doubt it was carefully designed on sound architectural principles. The original massive beams above the ceiling, seen if one climbs to the attic, are 8' by 16' and extend the entire width of the building.

The original high-backed walnut pews are still in use. They were constructed with square nails and wooden pegs. In the early days the pews were privately rented and equipped with doors and individual locks. The doors were removed in 1893. Other features of the church claim special interest: the massive sliding front doors and the curving stairway leading from the basement to the balcony, which was used by slaves. The galleries are among the interesting features of the sanctuary. In a letter Gallier writes, "It is believed that the prosperity of the church and the general convenience of the public will be promoted by the erection of galleries in the church."
     In 1898 a motion was made in session meeting that "the Ladies' Aid Society be granted permission to introduce electric lights into the church provided that all the wires shall be concealed."

The pulpit is a memorial to Susan Clarke and the Tiffany lighted urns on either side are memorials to Grace Bestor Inge. The two lighted windows were given in memory of Ellen Tarleton Bestor. The organ was dedicated to the memory of John S. Holmes, organist, 1868-1908. It is an Estey organ of 30 ranks that traveled down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers from the New York area and was installed in 1908. Its original cost was around $1,000. It was replaced with a new Rieger-Kloss instrument. For more information about the new organ, see our Music Page.

The Sanctuary and all floors except the loft are accessible for the handicapped via a ramp on the west side of the building and elevator.

Anna Branch Binford expressed the feeling of many members when she wrote: