The church’s 134-year-old sanctuary was destroyed by a fire in July. Now, we have a closer look at the plan to rebuild.
DALLAS — After a devastating fire burned down the 134-year-old sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas, the church announced it will spend $27 million to build a new structure, while preserving its history.
On Tuesday, Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn told WFAA he was presented with a redesign plan for the church. Pastor Lovvorn said the main goal behind the reconstruction project is to rebuild in a way that honors the past but also looks to the future to benefit future generations.
According to the church, the project is part of a larger plan called “Mission 1:8 One Desire.” The budget for One Desire is $95 million — $68 million to fund the ministry budget for the next two years and $27 million for the capital project to enhance the church campus.
Among those improvements, Lovvorn said the church will elevate the sanctuary to the second floor of their building, which will allow for a 500-person event space to be built in the sanctuary’s basement.
Lovvorn said a main component of preserving the sanctuary’s history is keeping the old outside design, including the stained-glass windows. Lovvorn said the church will work with Stanton Studios, a stained-glass studio based in Waco, to design the new windows.
Demolition of the building has been ongoing since that fire started in July. The cause behind the fire will remain undetermined, officials said.
Full renderings of the First Baptist Dallas reconstruction project: