The impressive Richardson Romanesque-style Pilgrim Congregational Church was designed by Sidley Badgley in 1893, some 64 years after the congregation first organized. Considered by some to be Badgley’s masterpiece, the church was designed with an “Akron Plan” interior that allowed students in the assembly area adjacent to the sanctuary to participate in services when a screen between the spaces was open, or to concentrate on independent programming when the screen was closed. Inside the sanctuary, the beautiful stained-glass dome was designed by member Elizabeth Parsons, and the 1894 Ferrand-Votey organ is thought to be one of just three that remain working in the United States. This church of firsts is believed to be the first building west of the Cuyahoga river to use electricity. It was also the first to start a kindergarten, a cooking school and a Boy Scout Troop in Cleveland. Pilgrim Congregational was also one of the first churches in the country designed as both a religious institution and community services center. This tradition of serving the spiritual and secular community in Tremont continues today.