First Baptist Dallas marks anniversary of fire that destroyed historic chapel

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at First Baptist Dallas church on Friday, July 19, 2024, in downtown Dallas.

In a service Sunday morning, First Baptist Dallas plans to mark the anniversary of a July 19 four-alarm fire that destroyed its historic sanctuary.

First Baptist Dallas church bursts into flames on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Dallas. A fire broke out early Friday evening at the historic First Baptist Dallas church downtown.

The 134-year-old sanctuary, located in the heart of downtown Dallas, served as the church’s primary place of worship for over a century before a $130 million expansion was completed in 2013.

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at First Baptist Dallas church on Friday, July 19, 2024, in downtown Dallas.

The service will honor first responders who fought and contained the fire, according to a news release from the church.

A entry way in the southwest corner of the First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel survived the July 2024 fire and will be preserved and rebuilt. Demolition crews were cleaning out the charred remains from the fire in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024.

The old sanctuary, which served as a secondary chapel for First Baptist, has been mostly demolished, senior executive pastor Ben Lovvorn told The Dallas Morning News this week. The church is still planning to preserve and restore two remaining walls of the old building, he said.

A melted window is seen January 3, 2025 as demolition crews remove the crumbling structure from the First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel fire in July 2024.

Lovvorn said the church hopes to break ground on reconstruction of the sanctuary in January 2026 and complete the rebuild by Easter 2028.

Demolition crews have been removing parts of the crumbling north wall, January 7, 2025, as they try to preserve some of the key architectural components from the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire back in July 2024 in downtown Dallas. Here, the wood framing of a north wall window is pictured.

The rebuild of the sanctuary will have a special significance for congregants like Jim Wicker, a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Speaks from a cutting touch are seen through a soot covered door that survived the fire at the First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel in July 2024 fire. Demolition crews were cleaning out the charred remains from the fire in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024.

He told The News that at least 12 people in his extended family were married at First Baptist’s historic chapel. Wicker, who plans to attend the service Sunday, teaches Sunday school classes at the church and said at least six generations of his family have attended there.

Hymnals that survived the fire are stacked on a pew in the southwest entry of the First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel which survived the July 2024 fire. Demolition crews were cleaning out the charred remains from the fire in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024.

He rushed to the church last July after hearing news of the fire, and said years of memories flooded back as he watched the flames.

Soot and dirt cover the curb marking the address of the First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel which caught fire in July 2024. Demolition crews were cleaning out the church in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024.

“My major spiritual milestones,” Wicker said, “all happened there in the historic sanctuary.”

An ornate pinnacle is pictured before the colorful exterior of the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary, January 7, 2025. Demolition crews have been removing parts of the crumbling north wall as they try to preserve some of the key architectural components from the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire back in July 2024 in downtown Dallas.

Lovvorn, the senior executive pastor, said the church doesn’t have a cost estimate for the rebuild. First Baptist is currently running a fundraising campaign with a goal of $95 million for “our 2025-2026 ministry budget, the reconstruction of the Sanctuary, and the enhancement of our church campus,” according to its website.

Demolition crews have been removing parts of the crumbling north wall, January 6, 2025, as they try to preserve some of the key architectural components from the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire back in July 2024 in downtown Dallas.

The church released renderings in October that provided a first look at its plans for the rebuild. The reconstructed sanctuary will be modeled after a 1908 design of the building, which has been through four remodelings, senior pastor Robert Jeffress told The News in October.

Demolition crews remove key architectural components of the crumbling north wall, January 6, 2025, as they try to preserve the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary which caught fire in July 2024.

The building’s steeple will also resemble the steeple in the 1908 design, Jeffress said. The church hopes the steeple will light up at night and become a downtown Dallas landmark.

Demolition crews have been removing parts of the crumbling north wall, January 7, 2025, as they try to preserve some of the key architectural components from the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire back in July 2024 in downtown Dallas. Here, high above the north entry, they use air hammers to remove bricks to remove those key pieces by crane.

First Baptist selected the Beck Group, one of Dallas’ best-known design and construction companies, to lead the rebuild. The church worked with the Beck Group on two recent projects, including its 2013 expansion.

Demolition crews clean out the charred remains from First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel fire from July 2024 in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024.

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The shell of the burned out First Baptist Dallas is seen from the Dallas Regional Chamber office in downtown Dallas, June 24, 2025. Scaffolding is erected around the remaining structure.

The shell of the burned out First Baptist Church is seen from the Dallas Regional Chamber office in downtown Dallas, June 24, 2025. Scaffolding is erected around the remaining structure as they are rebuilding the historic church.

Demolition crews cleaned out the charred remains from First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire from July in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024. The facing north wall, pictured through a charred window, is going to be torn down and rebuilt.

Demolition crews have been removing parts of the crumbling north wall, January 7, 2025, as they try to preserve some of the key architectural components from the First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire back in July 2024 in downtown Dallas.

Demolition crews clean out the charred remains from First Baptist Dallas sanctuary fire from July in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024. The south (left) and part of the west wall (right) remain standing and will be part of the rebuild.

A grand piano lies in pieces as an excavator clears charred remains from First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel fire in downtown Dallas, November 22, 2024.