The monumental cast-stone facade of this church is stunning. A broad flight of steps rises a full story from the sidewalk to the triple-entrance portal, where a three-tiered frontispiece of Spanish Baroque ornament in cast stone is set against the church’s flat stucco facade. The frontispiece is topped by a tall arched parapet with scroll moldings, its skyline studded with finials. No other facade of this period in Texas matches the grandeur of Cameron’s design. In contrast, the side walls are plain, composed of five bays of rectangular stained glass windows separated by four wide pilasters with cast-stone curved capitals.
Opposite at 201 Spring, the small Victory Baptist Church (1924, E. T. Jackson), with its white plastered walls and undulating cornice is California Mission in style, a humble contrast to its imposing neighbor. At 220 Spring, the First Presbyterian Church (1951, Henry Steinbomer), scaled to blend into its residential setting, is a Gothic Revival design of rock-faced limestone and has a bell-cote over the corner entrance. Unfortunately, yawning surface parking lots undermine the dignity of these houses of worship.