The brick Queen Street Baptist Church in the city of Norfolk was constructed in 1910-11. The church originated in 1884 after its founding members split away from the African American Bank Street Baptist Church. Both the Bank and Queen Street churches are linked historically to First Baptist Church, established circa 1800, which is thought to be the mother church of Norfolk’s many African American Baptist congregations. Built in a Late Gothic Revival style, Queen Street Baptist Church was designed by noted Norfolk architect Rossell Edward Mitchell, who designed a number of churches in the city during the early 20th century. The Queen Street Baptist Church’s interior has an open sanctuary, and a balcony accessed by narrow wooden stairs with ornately carved foliate wood newel posts. The Queen Street church serves as an example of the growth of the African American church during Reconstruction and the post-Civil War era in the Norfolk region.