First Parish Church, Arlington Massachusetts

Last updated
First Parish Church First Parish Church, Arlington MA.jpg
First Parish Church

First Parish Church in Arlington, Massachusetts is a Unitarian-Universalist congregation, which was founded in 1678 as First Parish in West Cambridge. It merged with the Arlington Universalist Congregation in 1962. The Highrock Church building originally housed the Universalist church in Arlington, one of the congregations joined in 1961 with the formation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, with the Unitarian congregation at the corner of Pleasant and Massachusetts Avenue.

Contents

History of the Church's Meetinghouses

The Church has utilized five structures over its long history. The first meeting house building was erected in 1734. It was an unheated stone building that later would be moved down Pleasant Street and used as a residence. [1]

To accommodate the growing congregation, the Parish built a second, and larger meeting house in 1804. The sale of 108 pews covered the $12,175 cost. This structure would remain unheated until 1820. [1]

In 1841, yet another new, larger meeting house was built that contained an organ, but it would burn down on January 1, 1856 after serving only 15 years. And immediately, work began on replacing it with an impressive structure.

In 1857, at the cost of $19,000 the Parish completed the fourth meeting house. The awe-inspiring spire stood 181 feet tall and was the second highest in the state. The spire contained a 2000-pound bell, and a marble-faced clock paid for with town funding. A century later, in 1958 the parish added a religious education building located west of the meeting house. [1]

March1975 brought tragedy as a workman removing old paint ignited a fire that would bring down the steeple and damage the fourth meeting house to such a degree that the remnants had to be torn down. [2] The parish received $1.5 million from insurance, but that would not be enough to rebuild a church in the likeness of its predecessor with beautiful woodwork with peg and groove construction. [1]

The Parish hired architect Kenneth DeNisco to design the replacement, and he began attending services to gain a better understanding of the parish’s needs. [3] His proposed modernist design brought controversy. [4] The main building was fireproof brick and It included a brick belltower that was ultimately converted into a steel tower. The church was also moved back 10 feet to protect a landmark Maple tree on the corner of Massachusetts Ave and Pleasant Street. Despite the disgruntlement of some who favored a more traditional structure the new design was approved by a vote of 94 to 28. And the Parish was able to purchase a 3700 bell from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Winchester. [1]  The new Parish Church was dedicated in September, 1981. [5] In 1990 four clocks were installed in the bell tower. [1]

The church is on the Southern end of the Arlington Center Historic District.


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United First Parish Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

United First Parish Church is an American Unitarian Universalist congregation in Quincy, Massachusetts, established as the parish church of Quincy in 1639. The current building was constructed in 1828 by Boston stonecutter Abner Joy to designs by Alexander Parris. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970, for its association with the Adams family, who funded its construction and four members are buried there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington Street Church</span> Historic church in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The Arlington Street Church is a Unitarian Universalist church across from the Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Because of its geographic prominence and the notable ministers who have served the congregation, the church is considered to be among the most historically important in American Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism. Completed in 1861, it was designed by Arthur Gilman and Gridley James Fox Bryant to resemble James Gibbs' St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The main sanctuary space has 16 large-scale stained-glass windows installed by Tiffany Studios from 1899 to 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Parish in Cambridge</span> Church building in Massachusetts, United States of America

First Parish in Cambridge is a Unitarian Universalist church, located in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is a Welcoming Congregation and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The church is notable for its almost 400-year history, which includes pivotal roles in the development of the early Massachusetts government, the creation of Harvard College, and the refinement of current liberal religious thought.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Parish Church of Dorchester</span> Church in Meeting House Hill, United States

First Parish Dorchester is a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Dorchester, Massachusetts. It was founded by English Puritans who initially saw themselves as reformers rather than separatists, but increasingly intolerable conditions in England and at the urging of Reverend John White of Dorchester, Dorset, they emigrated to New England. On March 20, 1630 as they set sail from Plymouth, England on the Mary and John, the congregation wrote its founding church covenant. Nearly all of the 140 ship passengers originated in the West Country counties of Somerset, Dorset and Devon. In late May, the ship landed first at what became called Hull, Massachusetts, and then in June at a place called "Mattapan" by the indigenous people including the Massachusett and Wampanoag. The Puritans named their new home "Dorchester Plantation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton</span> Historic church in Newton, Massachusetts, US

The First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton occupies a prominent location at 1326 Washington Street in the heart of the village of West Newton in Newton, Massachusetts. Architect Ralph Adams Cram designed the church, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. designed the grounds, the cornerstone was laid in 1905, and it was dedicated in 1906; it is one of the village's oldest buildings. The church is in Cram's signature Gothic Revival style, with buttressed walls and a blocky square tower with crenellations and spires. An enclosed courtyard is formed by an office wing, banquet hall, and parish house, which are built to resemble Elizabethan architecture with brick first floor and half-timbered upper level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Church of Christ, Unitarian</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The First Church of Christ, Unitarian, also known as First Church of Lancaster and colloquially as "the Bulfinch Church", is a historic congregation with its meeting house located at 725 Main Street facing the Common in Lancaster, Massachusetts. The church's fifth meeting house, built in 1816, was designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977, recognizing it as one of Bulfinch's finest works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Universalist Church (Auburn, Maine)</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The First Universalist Church is a historic church building on the corner of Pleasant, Elm, and Spring Streets in Auburn, Maine. It was built in 1876 to a design by John Stevens of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been a significant landmark in the city since its construction. It is a fine local example of Gothic Revival architecture executed in brick, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Unitarian Church (Somerville, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The former First Unitarian Church is a historic church building at 130 Highland Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts. The stone church was built in 1894 for a Unitarian congregation. It was designed by Hartwell & Richardson and is a good example of Richardsonian Romanesque design. The building presently (2022) houses the Mission Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford and the Osgood House</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford and The Osgood House are a historic Unitarian Universalist church building and parsonage house at 141 and 147 High Street in Medford, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Parish Church (Waltham, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The First Parish Church is a historic church at 50 Church Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, whose Unitarian Universalist congregation has a history dating to c. 1696. The current meeting house was built in 1933 after a fire destroyed the previous building on the same site. It is a Classical Revival structure designed by the nationally known Boston firm of Allen & Collens. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highrock Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

Highrock Church is an Evangelical Covenant Church congregation located in Arlington, Massachusetts. Founded in 1999, it occupies the former Saint Athanasius Greek Orthodox Church at 735 Massachusetts Avenue in the town center. The building, constructed in 1841 and restyled in 1860, is a prominent regional example of Italianate ecclesiastical architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Parish Church in Plymouth</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Parish Church (Portland, Maine)</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

First Parish Church is a historic church at 425 Congress Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1825 for a congregation established in 1674, it is the oldest church building in the city, and one of its finest examples of Federal period architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The congregation is Unitarian Universalist; its pastor is Reverend Norman Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universalist-Unitarian Church</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Universalist Unitarian Church is a historic church at the intersection of Silver Street and Elm Street in Waterville, Maine in the United States. Built in 1832 for a Universalist congregation founded in 1826, it is a prominent local example of transitional Federal-Gothic Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Unitarian Church of Providence</span> Church in Rhode Island, United States

First Unitarian Church of Providence is an American Unitarian Universalist congregation located at the corner of Benefit and Benevolent Streets in Providence, Rhode Island. The congregation was founded in 1723, and the current church building was dedicated in 1816. For many years it was known as the First Congregational Church of Providence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington</span> Historic church in Virginia, United States

Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), historically known as the Unitarian Church of Arlington, is a Unitarian Universalist church located at 4444 Arlington Boulevard in Arlington County, Virginia. Founded in 1948, UUCA was the first Unitarian church in Washington, D.C.'s suburbs. Throughout its history, UUCA has taken part in progressive causes from the Civil Rights Movement to the legalization of same-sex marriage in Virginia. During the Civil Rights Movement, UUCA was the only Virginia church to speak out in favor of racial integration. UUCA's sanctuary building, designed by local architect Charles M. Goodman in 1964, is a concrete Brutalist structure that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register in 2014. It is one of only three church buildings designed by Goodman and the only one in Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Church in Roxbury</span>

The First Church in Roxbury, also known as the First Church of Roxbury is the current headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist ("UU") Urban Ministry. A church on this site has been in use since 1632 when early English settlers built the first meetinghouse. Since then, the meetinghouse has been rebuilt four times, and its appearance today reflects how the meetinghouse looked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitarian Church (Burlington, Vermont)</span> Historic church in Vermont, United States

Built in 1816, the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House is the oldest remaining place of worship established by settlers in Burlington, Vermont. It is located along the northern side of the intersection of Pearl Street and the Church Street Marketplace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church is a historic church building at 1859 Centre Street in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1900 to a design by West Roxbury native Henry M. Seaver, it is a locally significant example of Normanesque architecture, and is adorned by stained glass windows created by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his firm. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The congregation it houses was founded in 1712, and is named for the influential Transcendentalist and abolitionist Theodore Parker, who was the congregation's minister in the 1840s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Parish of Sudbury</span>

First Parish of Sudbury refers to both an historic meetinghouse and a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Sudbury, Massachusetts, United States. The meetinghouse was built in 1797 on the site of the first meetinghouse built on the west side on the Sudbury River. The meetinghouse was designed by Captain Thomson and built at a cost of $6,025.93. It was paid for by the Town of Sudbury to be the meetinghouse for both Town Meetings and parish worship.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 A Brief History of First Parish, Arlington, MA Church Publication
  2. "It Was A Day To Remember". Arlington Advocate. March 13, 1975. p. 1.
  3. Plimpton, Ooakes. 1975 Church Fire 1981 Modern Design Replacement. First Church, Arlington, Massachusetts.
  4. "Shocked". Arlington Advocate. May 21, 1976.
  5. "1st Parish Church Dedicates Its New Sanctuary Building". Arlington Advocate. September 9, 1981. p. 1.

42°24′55.2″N71°9′13.9″W / 42.415333°N 71.153861°W / 42.415333; -71.153861