St. James Hall and St. James Episcopal Church are the two structures appearing on this circa 1870 Carte de Viste photograph. St. James Hall, an Episcopal boy's school or academy is seen to the left and St. James Church is located to the right. They were located on a full city block between Main and D Streets on the west and east. The north and south boundaries were Fourth and Fifth Streets. The architecture of both buildings shows Gothic Revival influences in details such as their steeply pitched roofs. Additional characteristics are more easily seen on the hall, such as vertical board-and-batten siding, small roofs over windows to deflect rain, and tall, narrow sash with numerous panes. The entry porch is extremely unusual with its three small, but steeply pitched, roofs which form a Gothic arch. An elaborate, decorative fence of painted boards edges the property as a deterrent to livestock. Glimpses of business houses are seen in the distance and dirt streets are evident in the foreground. A man and woman are seen in the shelter of the entry porch.
St. James Hall was built in 1865. St. James Protestant Episcopal Church was organized July 14, 1865 but the church building was not erected until 1867.
