Second Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga

The Second Presbyterian Church is a historic Gothic Revival-style church. Designed by Reuben Harrison Hunt and completed in 1890, it is the oldest surviving building designed by Hunt in Chattanooga. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its architectural and historical significance.

The building features native sandstone from Sewanee, Tennessee, and is adorned with large stained glass windows, a striking rose window on its eastern side, and a square tower with an attached circular tower. Inside, much of the original woodwork and vaulted ceilings remain intact, adding to the church’s remarkable historic character. A two-story Sunday School building, known as Founders Hall, was added in 1923.

The church has a long history of community service. Since 1984, the undercroft of the church has housed the Saint Matthew’s Men’s Night Shelter, a homeless shelter operated in partnership with Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church. Originally established as a winter emergency shelter, it has since expanded to a year-round program providing overnight housing for men participating in rehabilitation programs, including those from the Chattanooga Community Kitchen.

The church's chapel houses a notable memorial stained glass window dedicated to Ms. Hattie Ackerman, a schoolteacher who lost her life while nursing victims of the 1878 yellow fever epidemic.