The Calvary Baptist Church is on the corner of 8th and H St., NW. This door is on the H St. side.
The church was built in 1866, of pressed red brick, in the Gothic Revival style. Most of the church, except the steeple and two walls, burned down in 1867 and the building was re-built in 1868. In 1914, a storm weakened the spire and it had to be removed. The steeple was not restored until 2005.
The architect was Adolf Cluss. It was Cluss’s first large commission after he moved to the U.S. from Germany. He had been friends with Karl Marx and was an early supporter of Communism. This is the only church he designed that is still standing. He became a very prominent D.C. architect; some of his work included the Smithsonian Arts and Industry building, Eastern Market, the Franklin School, and the Sumner School.
Warren Harding attended Calvary while he was President.