First Congregational Church, Former (Sioux City, Iowa)

First Congregational Church, Former (Sioux City Baptist Church)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The church from the southeast, showing both the 13th Street (left) and Nebraska Street (right) facades
Location	1301 Nebraska Street Sioux City, Iowa
Coordinates	42°30′15.1″N 96°24′14.3″W / 42.504194°N 96.403972°WCoordinates: 42°30′15.1″N 96°24′14.3″W / 42.504194°N 96.403972°W
Built	1916-1918
Architect	William L. Steele
Architectural style	Prairie School
NRHP Reference #	79000953[1]
Added to NRHP	October 22, 1979

The First Congregational Church Building (Sioux City), also known as the Sioux City Baptist Church and most recently as Iglesia Pentecostes Evangelica Principe de Paz, is a house of worship located at 1301 Nebraska Street, Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. An architectural rarity, it is one of a small group of churches in the Prairie School style of architecture. Designed primarily in the Prairie style with some eclectic touches by noted architect William L. Steele, its horizontal lines are emphasized by Roman brick and crisp rectilinear forms. Somewhat at variance are the distinctive dome and the prominent round heads on the windows.

Fresh from his triumph with the Woodbury County Courthouse in collaboration with George Grant Elmslie, and drawing on lessons learned during that collaboration, Steele built the church in 1916-1918. It was for a Congregational church that had been established in Sioux City back in 1857, replacing a more traditional church that had burned down in 1916. In 1966, that congregation built a new structure at 4600 Hamilton Boulevard.

The First Congregational Church sold the building to the Sioux City Baptist Church, and the facility became listed on the National Register of Historic Places under that name. In 2009, the Sioux City Baptist Church acquired a building on Viking Drive. Most recently, the building has become the Iglesia Evangelica Pentecostes Principe de Paz (Evangelical Pentecostal Church of the Prince of Peace), with services in Spanish aimed at the local Hispanic community.

Due to the need for extensive building restoration and maintenance, the structure has been named to endangered building lists by at least two historic preservation groups.

Interior view of the now-sealed dome showing its stained glass, which originally flooded the sanctuary with light.

See also

• William L. Steele
• Prairie School
• Hartington City Hall and Auditorium
• Woodbury County Courthouse
• Unity Temple
• Stewart Memorial Presbyterian Church
• St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church

References

1. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.