Lincoln Cultural Center (1922)
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Head south on Cedar Street, and the Lincoln Cultural Center will be on your left as you come to Main Street. It was built in 1922 as the First Baptist Church of Lincolnton, a congregation organized in 1859. This building was designed by James M. McMichael, a Charlotte architect famous for his church designs. The building is laid in the shape of a cross with a dome sitting in the middle. It became the Lincoln Cultural Center in September 1991 after First Baptist Church moved to the 321 bypass.
This is the third building to house the Baptist congregation in Lincolnton. They held their first meetings at the Old White Church, now Emmanuel Lutheran Church and the congregation was officially organized on May 28, 1859. Of the nine charter members, seven were women.
This congregation built their first church building in 1883 or 1884 on East Water Street between the court square and South Academy Street. They purchased the lot at 403 East Main Street in 1919 for $6,200, and completed the construction of their building by 1922. The construction cost was $40,000. The congregation enlarged the building in 1951 by adding an educational wing at the building's rear, north elevation. They built a new church building on Generals Boulevard in 1979, and their former building became the home of the Lincoln Campus of Gaston College. The building became the Lincoln Cultural Center in 1991 and is home to the Lincoln County Historical Association, Lincoln County Museum of History, Arts Council of Lincoln County and Lincoln Theatre Guild.
It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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