First Church of Christ, Congregational | |
Location | Springfield, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°6′3″N72°35′23″W / 42.10083°N 72.58972°W |
Built | 1819 |
Architect | Isaac Damon |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
Part of | Court Square Historic District (ID74000370) |
NRHP reference No. | 72000135 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | February 1, 1972 |
Designated CP | May 2, 1974 |
First Church of Christ, Congregational, or Old First Church, is a historic church at 50 Elm Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1819, the present structure is the fourth church building on the site, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The church is within the Court Square Historic District. [2]
The First Church was organized in 1637, the year following Springfield's founding by Puritan iconoclast and businessman, William Pynchon. The first church building was built in 1645 by Thomas Cooper, on what is now the southeast corner of Court Square. It had two towers: one for the bell, and the other to watch for approaching Indians. It was replaced in 1677 by the second meeting house, and the third was built in 1752. The third one was, in turn, replaced by the current building in 1819. [3]
Noted abolitionist Dr. Samuel Osgood was the pastor of the congregation from 1809 to 1854. It was during this time that the present building was visited by notable figures such as Daniel Webster and John Brown, who resided in Springfield for some time. In addition, Jenny Lind performed a concert in the church in July 1851, and in 1848, the body of President John Quincy Adams lay in state in the center aisle of the sanctuary. [4]
Because of maintenance costs and dwindling membership, the First Church disbanded in 2007, after 370 years in existence. The building was sold to the City of Springfield for $900,000. In 2011, the roof of the building was damaged by the June 1st tornado that tore through Western Massachusetts, and was repaired by the city using federal funds. The city currently rents the building to a local congregation, Wellspring Church, which holds its Sunday services there. The building is also rented out for weddings and other functions. [5]
The church was designed by Isaac Damon (1781–1862), a noted Western Massachusetts architect from Northampton. During his career, he designed 13 churches, including the First Congregational Church of Blandford, Southwick Congregational Church, and the First Church of Northampton. [6]
From 1908 until 1970, the height of the steeple on the Old First Church (125 feet) was used as a legal limit for heights of buildings in Springfield, as per the order of the Massachusetts State Legislature in 1908, (the one exception being the Springfield Municipal Group, dedicated in 1913 by President William Howard Taft.) Thus, in Springfield, one finds fewer skyscrapers than one does in most comparable United States cities, (e.g. Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island.) [7]
The following paragraph, written by Springfield architect Eugene C. Gardner, illustrates the importance of the Old First Church to Springfield:
The Old South Meeting House is a historic Congregational church building located at the corner of Milk and Washington Streets in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston, Massachusetts, built in 1729. It gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. Five thousand or more colonists gathered at the Meeting House, the largest building in Boston at the time.
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal architecture and the later Greek Revival architecture. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War. Builders also copied his plans in the Midwest and in the South.
The Windsor Avenue Congregational Church is a historic church at 2030 Main Street in Hartford, Connecticut. The brick Romanesque Revival-style church building, completed in 1872, now houses Faith Congregational Church, whose lineage includes the city's oldest African-American congregation, established in 1819. The church is a stop on the Connecticut Freedom Trail and was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
North Avenue Congregational Church is a historic church meetinghouse at 1801 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was completely renovated in 2015 to become a library for Lesley University. The former church now forms part of what is now the Lunder Arts Center complex.
The Gardner Uptown Historic District is a historic district encompassing the former civic heart of Gardner, Massachusetts. The 65-acre (26 ha) area includes the old town common, an early cemetery, and a modest number of non-residential buildings among a larger number of houses. The area was the center of civic life from the incorporation of Gardner in 1785 until municipal functions were moved to West Gardner beginning in the late 1920s. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Court Square is the central plaza and historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is located in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding in 1636.
The French Congregational Church, known since 1919 as the First Spiritualist Church, is a historic High Victorian Gothic church on Union Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. The pressed brick church was built in 1887, under the sponsorship of Daniel B. Wesson, to provide a place of worship for French Huguenots employed by Smith & Wesson. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2016, the building was moved to Union Street from its original site on Bliss Street, in order to make way for the MGM Springfield casino.
The First Congregational Church of Blandford is a historic church building at 4 North Street in the center of Blandford, Massachusetts. Built in 1822, it is a prominent example of a Federal-style church, built by a leading regional proponent of the style, builder Isaac Damon. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is now managed by a local nonprofit as a special event venue.
The Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church is a historic church building at 49 Church Street in Bernardston, Massachusetts. The church is notable for the history of construction, movement, and reconstruction, since it was first erected in 1739, just two years after Bernardston was settled. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Its congregation is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association which was established in 1820.
The First Congregational Church is an historic church in Stoneham, Massachusetts, United States. Built in 1840, it is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and is a landmark in the town center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1984. The church is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; the current pastor is the Rev. Ken McGarry.
First Parish Church in Plymouth is a historic Unitarian Universalist church at the base of Burial Hill on the town square off Leyden Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The congregation was founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth. The current building was constructed in 1899.
The Hollis Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts, was a Congregational and Unitarian church. It merged with the South Congregational Society of Boston in 1887.
The Brattle Street Church (1698–1876) was a Congregational and Unitarian church on Brattle Street in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Avon Congregational Church is a Congregational Church building at 6 West Main Street in Avon, Connecticut. Built in 1819 for a congregation founded in 1754, it is a high-quality example of Federal period architecture, and one of the finest works of architect David Hoadley. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
Hartwell and Richardson was a Boston, Massachusetts architectural firm established in 1881, by Henry Walker Hartwell (1833–1919) and William Cummings Richardson (1854–1935). The firm contributed significantly to the current building stock and architecture of the greater Boston area. Many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The St. John's Congregational Church and Parsonage-Parish for Working Girls are a pair of historic religious buildings at 69 Hancock and 643 Union Streets in Springfield, Massachusetts. The church, built in 1911 for an African-American congregation founded in 1889, is a well-preserved example of English and Gothic Revival architecture. The parsonage, built in 1913, is a little-altered example of Colonial Revival architecture. Both buildings are important in the history of Springfield's African-American community, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The church building is now occupied by a different congregation, the original having moved to larger quarters across Union Street; the parsonage house continues to be used by the St. John's congregation as an education center.
The First Congregational Church is a historic church at 400 Main Street in Farmington, New Hampshire. Built in 1875 for a congregation founded in 1819, it is the oldest church building in the town, and a distinctive example of Gothic Revival architecture designed by New Hampshire native Frederick N. Footman. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2017. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
Eugene C. Gardner (1836–1915) was an American architect and author of Springfield, Massachusetts. Gardner was noted both for the architectural influence of his extensive practice as well as his writings on the American home. Gardner was the most notable architect of Springfield.
Bezaleel Howard was an American Congregationalist minister.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)