As it points to blue skies and the heavens beyond, a traditional church steeple is a constant reminder of reverence.

Traditional local churches have this architectural feature, but many of the more modern churches are without it.

"It is a medieval symbol that people have come to identify by that this is a church," said local church architect Garland Reynolds. "There's a lot of churches going up — I call them warehouse-metal-building churches with fiberglass steeples that are all over the place."
Reynolds added there are three main things that steeples represent.

"No. 1 is an identifying thing," he said. "No. 2 it is a thing of pride. ... It means this is a church, this is a place to worship, whatever it is.

"Also, there is one other point — a church must be a sanctuary; this is my philosophy. When you go through a steeple like that, it says ‘fortress' to a lot of people."

St. John Baptist Church erected its steeple during construction on the new building in 2005. Reynolds designed the building along with the steeple, one of the tallest in Gainesville.

"St. John goes up 115 feet. I was afraid we were going to have to put a red light on it because of planes coming in," Reynolds said. "I checked with the FAA and we didn't have to."

Charles Morrow Jr., a longtime member at St. John Baptist, said the steeple brings a new dimension to the church and that he appreciates the design.

"I think the uniqueness of it, how high it is, is one thing and then in the mornings when you pass by and the sun is shining on it you get that true glitter of light reflecting off," he said. "It says something extra about the church itself."

Styles of steeples vary, and architectural design must be considered before construction.

"Steeples are expensive - the ones you build up from scratch like the ones I do," Reynolds said. "You have to figure in not only the weight but the wind loading."

The steeple on First Baptist Church in Gainesville is Georgian design, according to Reynolds, and it comes with even more architectural history.

"The church as a whole was patterned after St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, which is in Trafalgar Square in London and the steeple is a wedding cake steeple, because it is stacked," said Jim Mathis Jr., president of the North Georgia Community Foundation. "I think it is a great landmark; it is inspiring. It inspires people because it reaches to the heavens, and I like the steeples that have a cross on top, which ours does."