Dallas, TX
First Baptist Dallas demolishes old sanctuary, preserving pieces of the past
At First Baptist Dallas, construction workers have embarked on the painstaking work of demolishing and preserving high-value pieces of the church’s historic sanctuary, which was heavily damaged in a July fire.
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 an expansion was completed in 2013.
Church officials hope the rebuild of the sanctuary will be finished by Easter 2028, executive pastor Ben Lovvorn told The Dallas Morning News.
Lovvorn said the church doesn’t have a cost estimate for the rebuild due to the unique nature of the project. The church 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.
For now, the charred sanctuary is a shell of its former self. Over the past few months, construction workers have hollowed out the building’s interior. Cranes and piles of debris now sit on concrete that used to be the sanctuary’s basement floor.
“While we treasure the memories and spiritual milestones that so many have experienced in our Historic Sanctuary, we are even more excited about what God is doing in our church today,” Robert Jeffress, senior pastor, told The News in a statement.
“This construction project is a reminder to us that First Baptist Dallas has always been and will continue to be a church built on the Bible,” he said. “With Scripture as our foundation and Jesus Christ as our cornerstone, we believe our greatest days of ministry are still ahead of us.”
Four-alarm fire
On the evening of July 19, a four-alarm fire destroyed much of the historic sanctuary. Firefighters say the fire started in the building’s basement.
A spokesperson for Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed Saturday that the cause of the fire remains undetermined.
First Baptist Dallas plans to preserve two of the building’s remaining walls with the hope of incorporating them into the new structure, Lovvorn said. The church, he said, is “working to preserve as much of the exterior of the building as possible” but must remove a third wall that was compromised in the fire.
Demolition began in November. Now workers are removing pieces of the north wall’s stone and decorations, sometimes by crane, before remaining bricks are pushed off into piles on the ground.
On Friday, a crane scraped pieces of brick off the top of that wall, moving the fragments to a pile at the wall’s base enveloped by clouds of dust.
“We’ve had crews out there who are removing a lot of that stonework very prudently and strategically, even by hand, to make sure that it is preserved,” Lovvorn said. “It’s different than going in with some wrecking ball and just knocking everything down.”
A dozen demolition workers are working at the site six days a week, while lanes on Ervay Street have been blocked off for the project.
Surviving stained glass
Much of the building’s stained glass was destroyed or damaged in the July fire, Lovvorn said. Surviving pieces have been removed and are being housed at a Waco facility. The church hopes to use the stained glass in the rebuild, he said.
The church is also preserving items that carry special religious significance, including an image of a Bible and an anchor carved into the stone on the north wall, and fleur-de-lis, decorative pieces that rest atop many parts of the building’s exterior.
“The fleur-de-lis represents the lily and reminds us of Christ’s resurrection,” Lovvorn said.
The image of the Bible and anchor was part of the sanctuary built in 1908, according to Lovvorn. The image reminds “our church that Scripture and God’s word is our anchor and foundation,” he said.
“The majesty of it”
The reconstructed sanctuary will be modeled after the 1908 design of the building, which has been through four remodelings, Jeffress told The News in October. “I think once people see the majesty of it, they will understand why we went that way,” he said.
The church selected the Beck Group, one of Dallas’ best-known design and construction companies, to lead the rebuild.
First Baptist Dallas worked with the Beck Group on two recent projects, including the $130 million expansion of several of their downtown buildings, finished in 2013.
“That building represents a lot of spiritual milestones in people’s lives,” Lovvorn said of the historic sanctuary. “So our design is intended to honor and remember the history of our church and what God has done in that place.
“But also to look toward the future.”
Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News through a partnership with Report for America.
The Dallas Cowboys released an iconic player for the second time in three years when they said goodbye to Ezekiel Elliott last week.
It was a bit of a shocking move for Dallas to release Elliott prior to the season finale, but club ownership made it clear that the reason for the timing was to afford Zeke the opportunity to latch on with a playoff contender before the league’s postseason tournament began. That has officially happened.
Ezekiel Elliott is joining the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad.
The Ezekiel Elliott return never quite took for the Cowboys at any point and he was slowly phased out over the course of the season as Rico Dowdle took center stage in the run game. Perhaps opportunities will be more present for Elliott with his new team, a club who features a fellow Ohio State Buckeye in the backfield in J.K. Dobbins.
For what it’s worth, if Elliott managed to stick around the Chargers into the 2025 season he would get a second chance to visit AT&T Stadium as a member of the visiting team as they are one of the squads Dallas will host in 2025. You can see all of next season’s Cowboys opponents right here.
Best of luck to Ezekiel Elliott with the Chargers. Incidentally his first action with them will be back in the state of Texas as LA visits the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.
Another North Texan has won $1 million in a Texas Lottery scratch-off game.
The Texas Lottery said Monday that a Dallas resident claimed the third of six million-dollar prizes in the $1,000,000 Crossword scratch-off game.
The ticket was purchased at Buckner Shell, located at 2438 S. Buckner Boulevard, in Dallas.
The winner, who asked to remain anonymous, now falls into the highest federal tax bracket of 37%. After paying $370,000 in federal taxes, they’ll take home $630,000. Texas does not have a state tax on lottery winnings.
The previous two winners in this game came from tickets bought in Wylie on Aug. 19, 2024, and in El Paso on July 15, 2024.
The biggest scratch-off game offered by the Texas Lottery is the $20 Million Supreme, with four grand prizes of $20 million each. Three of those tickets have been claimed, including one in February 2023 in Fort Worth. The other two winners are from Boerne and La Feria. One grand prize ticket remains unclaimed.
The Dallas Cowboys rolled out a roster more reminiscent of a preseason game than a Week 18 lineup, yet they still put up a good fight against the high-powered Washington Commanders.
Multiple players received opportunities they hadn’t gotten earlier in the season and thrived. In what could be the last game with the Cowboys for many players and coaches, there were still several positives to take away from an otherwise disappointing season.
In the Cowboys last game of the season here are the players or coaches who saw their stock rise or fall in week 18.
Dallas Cowboys’ top plays & highlights vs. Commanders Week 18
This is the first time a coach has made this list; however, it took the final game of the season to roll out a playbook that actually played to the strengths of the team. Where was this all season?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. It wasn’t until the last game that McCarthy finally stopped calling plays out of fear of the results.
The Cowboys offense struggled all season calling simple plays to avoid mistakes and ultimately found very little success. Simply not a good look for McCarthy as he heads into free agency.
Mike McCarthy opens up on future as fate uncertain following Cowboys’ season finale
After many hopeful Cowboys fans anticipated Jake Ferguson would produce another Pro Bowl-caliber season and establish himself as one of the league’s best tight ends, it has become unclear whether he is even the best tight end on the Cowboys.
Ferguson has shown little, if any, improvement over fellow Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker. In the final game, Ferguson managed just two catches for 12 yards on four targets, while Schoonmaker recorded two catches for 16 yards on two targets.
Many fans expected Ferguson to earn a contract extension this offseason, but it’s looking increasingly likely that he may find himself in a new uniform in 2026.
DaRon Bland has not been the All-Pro player he was last year after suffering an injury and missing half the season. Today was perhaps his worst game, as he was frequently targeted and struggled to disrupt the Commanders’ passing attack.
His most glaring mistake came when he gave up the game-winning touchdown to Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin. Ironically, the play may benefit the team in the long run by helping them secure a higher draft pick. Nevertheless, it was a disappointing performance for the 2023 All-Pro.
After the Cowboys’ 2024 season became one to forget midway through, fans begged and pleaded for the team to give former first-round draft pick Trey Lance a chance to showcase his talent.
Their wish was granted in the final game of the season, and Lance did not disappoint. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 244 yards and added six carries for 26 yards.
Lance’s performance was a nostalgic reminder of Dak Prescott’s early years, when the Cowboys’ offensive game plan benefited from having an athletic quarterback. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this will likely be the last time they play with an athletic quarterback for at least the next two seasons.
Similarly to Trey Lance, Cowboys fans have been eagerly waiting for the team to integrate Deuce Vaughn into the offensive game plan. Vaughn did not disappoint, racking up six carries for 37 yards at an impressive 6.2 yards per carry.
He showcased the explosiveness and versatility that made him one of the most dynamic college football players in recent memory. It was a breath of fresh air to see Vaughn receive meaningful touches in a competitive game, rather than in the context of a blowout loss or win.
Cowboys fans have become accustomed to otherworldly performances from Micah Parsons, to the point where they feel spoiled if he doesn’t put up significant numbers on a game-by-game basis.
However, in a season where the Cowboys often looked uninspired and lacked effort, no one has questioned Parsons’ dedication on the football field. In a game with no real impact on the Cowboys’ 2024 season, Parsons gave it his all, recording two and a half sacks and four total tackles.
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