With its original steeple, 185 feet high, it was the tallest structure on Long Island when built.

[6] Although many lament the loss, architectural historian Richard Carrot believes that the removal of the steeple was "successful", in that it left "a more 'Egyptian' building.

[5] The church's tripartite facade evokes the massive trapezoidal pylons of Egyptian temples.

The deep cornice is crested with a crenelation of blubber spades, referring to the whaling industry that created the wealth of the village.

[9] The minister's dedicatory sermon said that the congregation's intention in commissioning an Egyptian-style building was to symbolize Solomon's Temple.

The church also celebrated the anniversary by putting on a grand historical pageant in the costumes of the 1840s.

[5][14] The fence was an important part of Lafever's original plan to replicate Solomon's Temple in Egyptian style.

In Lafever's design, the fence marked the "forecourt", and the doorway is framed by two enormous pylons representing Boaz and Jachin.

[10][14] The church was originally topped with a steeple 185 feet tall, making it visible to ships rounding Montauk Point about 21 miles away by road.

[7] Above this was a section with four panels, each with Greek key and rosette motifs, which contained clockworks made by Ephriam Byram, Sag Harbor's clockmaker.

[13] In 1997 a proposal was floated to raise the necessary funds by installing a cell-phone transmission tower inside the new steeple, to be paid for by the cell phone company.

Nathaniel S. Prime, pastor from 1806–09, "If a shower of rain occurred during public worship, the minister was obliged to retreat to the corner of the ample pulpit to escape the falling drops.

A letter was found, written by a young cabinetmaker working on the building in 1843, who named Lafever as the architect.

This confirmation aided in gaining financial support for the church's restoration, based on its architectural significance.