The Unitarian Church

The Unitarian Society began to hold services in Manistee beginning in 1884. The first services of the Society were held in a number of different buildings in Manistee, including the former Women's Christian Temperance Union Hall. It was during the tenure of Rev. Albert Wakley that the plan to erect a church building for the use of the Society was inaugurated. Architect Sydney H. Osgood, a prominent Grand Rapids architect, designed the church and well-known local builders Maxted & Newcombe built it throughout 1886. Stone from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was shipped across Lake Michigan for construction. The building, featuring Romanesque architecture with Moorish influence, was completed at a total cost of $13,466.30. The Unitarian Church Society assembled for the first service in December of 1886. The church was later sold by the Christian Scientists and purchased by the First Baptist Church, who dedicated it in September of 1955.