St. Peter's was originally built in the Greek Revival idiom with Doric columns in antis. A major fire in 1849 gutted the interior and led to a remodeling and the insertion of the pointed-arched windows. Then in 1868 lighting struck the steeple, causing another fire. Subsequently the vestry voted “no more steeples,” and built a detached bell tower (1873) that recalls some of Richard Upjohn's work.