The church sanctuary building has been listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places by the New York State Office of Historic Preservation, and on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. National Parks Service.

The First Presbyterian Church sold its building in downtown Jamestown in 1924 to make way for construction of the new Hotel Jamestown, and purchased the property at the corner of Prendergast Avenue and East Fifth Street from the estate of the late Martin L. Fenton. The Fenton home was used as a parish house while construction of the new church began. Construction took place through 1925 with the official dedication in January 1926.

The church sanctuary was designed by Ralph Adams Cram and Frank W. Ferguson, partners in the renowned architecture firm from Boston, in the style of an early medieval Italian basilica. Construction was supervised by the local architectural firm of Beck and Tinkham. The sanctuary building, with its five-story bell tower, is an example of the Neo-Byzantine-Romanesque style and is unusual in Western New York. The sanctuary’s interior consists of a wide center aisle or nave and two narrow side aisles, each covered by an open timber roof. Seven wood trusses divide the nave into eight bays, and each bay has a semicircular arch dividing the nave from the side aisle. The roof trusses, purlins, and braces are stenciled in bright colors, and the walls throughout are plastered and painted. In addition to the 1925 sanctuary, the church complex includes the 1896 Martin Fenton home, designed by E.G.W. Dietrich, which was extensively altered after a 1926 fire. A chapel and education building were designed by Beck and Tinkham and constructed in 1962. The newest addition to the church complex, the Cloister addition facing Prendergast Avenue, was designed by the local architectural firm Habiterra, and was constructed in 1992.

The inclusion of First Presbyterian on the state and national historic registers is the result of more than two years of effort by Chicago-based architect John Smagner. Smagner is the grandson of long-time First Presbyterian member June Craig. Smagner has traveled extensively studying the works of Ralph Adams Cram, the principal architect of the First Presbyterian sanctuary.

Pictured is the front entrance to the First Presbyterian Church of Jamestown, 509 Prendergast Ave., Jamestown.

Sunday morning worship is held in the sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. with summer services in Bellinger Chapel. All are welcome.