A plaque on the front of the building reads:

The First Baptist Church contributes to the Nevada City Downtown Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The following description of the building is excerpted from the NRHP nomination for the district:

This one-story brick building has a gently sloping gabled roof. The brick has been painted white, and a modern white wood portico protects the entry. The facade has two sash windows, one on each side of the doorway, each with a heavy granite sill below. Above each window is a smaller ten-light recessed window in a Gothic arch headed by a Gothic relieving arch. The paneled brick pilasters of the facade rise to a simple cornice ornamented with dentils.

The windows along the sides of the church are similar except that the pilasters separating them are plain. The rooftop pediment is also above a cornice with dentils. The entry to the church is a tall Gothic arch with glass doors.

Originally a Congregational Church, the building was converted into an apartment house in the 1930's, and another story was added. When the Baptist congregation bought it in 1947, they entered into a program of restoration. In 1955 the roof was lowered to its present addition, and the walls were strengthened to make the building earthquake proof. It was at this same time that the three-story stucco addition was built across the back of the church to be used for offices and Sunday School rooms.