One of the most recognizable buildings in Salem is theformer East Church, now occupied by theSalem Witch Museum. The East Church was constructed between 1844 and 1846 for the oldest branch of the First Church of Salem, which originally organized in 1718. The stunning Gothic Revival church has been credited to architectMinard Lafever(1798-1854), a prominent New York architect known for his Gothic, Greek and other Exotic Revival style buildings. Constructed of brownstone, a material Lafever utilized for his New York City churches built at the same time, the East Church exhibited pointed arch stained glass windows, crenellation resembling battlements, and once featured two, four-stage octagonal towers, which were cut down in the 1920s to their current height. The church suffered from a massive fire in the early 20th century and the church eventually moved out in the 1950s. The building was occupied by the Salem Auto Museum until another fire in 1969. In 1972, the Salem Witch Museum moved in and completely updated the interior.