First Presbyterian Church-Dallas, Dallas

The First Presbyterian Church is a historic church in Dallas. It is located in the Farmers Market District of the city, on Park Avenue. It was the first congregation of Presbyterians founded here.

The congregation was founded in 1856. The first pastor was the Reverend Robert Byers. It had a total of eleven members back then. In the beginning, the group met wherever they could. Through the years, the church has had a total of four buildings, as the congregation continued to grow.

The current building is located in the Harwood Historic District, and is considered to be the local landmark. It was finished in 1913. The church is done in a Greek Revival style, which makes it distinct from other churches in the Historic District. You will want to check out the Corinthian style columns on the front. They are monolithic, and were the first such style used in Dallas. Each column was shipped to Dallas on a separate flatcar from Indiana.

The exterior walls contain the original pictorial windows of "art glass." These were prepared by the Kansas City Stained Glass Works Company and shipped to Dallas in 1912. The interior design is a modified Akron Plan. The Akron plan was developed by Akron, Ohio architects (1900–1920) to promote efficiency of movement by congregants between worship and Sunday School. This plan is characterized by a semicircular amphitheater with curved seating, opening to classrooms immediately adjacent to the Sanctuary.