First Baptist Church (1965) is an outstanding representation of the work of a distinguished American architect, Harry Mohr Weese, and generally thought to be his best work in Columbus, Indiana, where he completed numerous works of Modern architecture.

The church is built on the brow of a gently sloping knoll. This elevation combined with its peaked non-dimensional bell tower emphasizes the building’s function as a place of worhip. The steep roof, which is twice as high as the surrounding pink brick walls, is covered with hand-laid slate. The chapel is a smaller, separate, but similar building to one side of the sanctuary.

The main brick building is built on two levels, taking advantage of a natural grade around a landscaped open courtyard. Landscaping was designed by Dan Kiley.

The CIAA collection includes architectural plans, specifications, correspondence, photographs, artistic sketches, slides and newspaper and magazine articles pertaining to the planning and construction of First Baptist Church.