First Unitarian Church (Iowa City, Iowa)

Last updated
First Unitarian Church
First Unitarian Church (Iowa City, Iowa).jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location10 S. Gilbert St.
Iowa City, Iowa
Coordinates 41°39′39.4″N91°31′47.7″W / 41.660944°N 91.529917°W / 41.660944; -91.529917 Coordinates: 41°39′39.4″N91°31′47.7″W / 41.660944°N 91.529917°W / 41.660944; -91.529917
Arealess than one acre
Built1908
Architectural style Tudor Revival
NRHP reference No. 100002996 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 5, 2018

First Unitarian Church is a historic building located in the downtown area of Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The local Universalist congregation traces its beginnings to 1841. Their building at Iowa Avenue and Dubuque Street was destroyed in a fire in 1868, and they built a larger building at Iowa Avenue and Clinton Street. In 1881 the Universalists merged with the local Unitarian Society. In their arrangement, the Unitarians paid for the minister while the Universalists owned the church building. [2] The University of Iowa bought their building in 1907 and renamed it Unity Hall for use as a student union. The Unitarian-Universalist congregation dedicated this Tudor Revival building for their use on October 24, 1908. The dedication address was given by Rev. Eleanor E. Gordon, who was the secretary of the State Unitarian Conference of Iowa at the time. Because of their growth and costs to update the old building, the congregation voted in 2015 to build a new structure in near-by Coralville. They sold this building to developer Jesse Allen. It has subsequently been used as a winter shelter for the homeless while plans were made to include it in a new commercial-residential development. The former church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. [1]

Related Research Articles

Unity Temple

Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity Temple is considered to be one of Wright's most important structures dating from the first decade of the twentieth century. Because of its consolidation of aesthetic intent and structure through use of a single material, reinforced concrete, Unity Temple is considered by many architects to be the first modern building in the world. This idea became of central importance to the modern architects who followed Wright, such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and even the post-modernists, such as Frank Gehry. In 2019, along with seven other buildings designed by Wright in the 20th century, Unity Temple was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Meadville Lombard Theological School is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, Illinois.

First Unitarian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio) United States historic place

First Unitarian Church is a historic congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in the early nineteenth century, it survived a series of division and reunifications in the nineteenth century. Among the people who have worshipped in its historic church building on the city's northern side are many members of the Taft family, including William Howard Taft, the President of the United States.

First Unitarian Church of Detroit United States historic place

The First Unitarian Church of Detroit was located at 2870 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Built between 1889 and 1890, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was destroyed by fire on May 10, 2014.

First Unitarian Church (Baltimore, Maryland) United States historic place

The First Unitarian Church is a historic church and congregation at 12 West Franklin Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Dedicated in 1818, it was the first building erected for Unitarians in the United States. The church is a domed cube with a stucco exterior. The church, originally called the "First Independent Church of Baltimore", is the oldest building continuously used by a Unitarian congregation. The name was changed in 1935 to "The First Unitarian Church of Baltimore " following the merger with the former Second Universalist Church at East Lanvale Street and Guilford Avenue in midtown Baltimore. The American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America (established 1866) representing the two strains of Unitarian Universalism beliefs and philosophies merged as a national denomination named the Unitarian Universalist Association in May 1961.

First Universalist Church (Somerville, Massachusetts) United States historic place

The First Universalist Church is a historic Universalist Church building at 125 Highland Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Romanesque church building was built between 1916 and 1923 to a design by Ralph Adams Cram, and is the only example of his work in Somerville. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is currently owned by the Highland Masonic Building Association, and is the home of King Solomon's Lodge AF & AM, the builders of the Bunker Hill Monument.

First Parish Unitarian Church United States historic place

The First Parish Unitarian Church, now the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Medfield, is a historic church on North Street in Medfield, Massachusetts. The white clapboarded church was built in 1789, as the third for a congregation established c. 1652. In 1839 it was rotated on its site ninety degrees. It lost its steeple in the New England Hurricane of 1938. The steeple was replaced in 1988, and the building's many layers of paint were stripped off in 2007.

First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York) United States historic place

The First Universalist Church is an historic Universalist church building located at Rochester, Monroe County, New York. Construction began on 15 September 1907, with a dedication week in October 1908. The building houses one of two Unitarian Universalist congregations in Monroe County, the other being First Unitarian Church of Rochester. First Universalist is also a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

First Universalist Church of Cedar Rapids United States historic place

The First Universalist Church of Cedar Rapids, also called the Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1875, it served the Unitarian Universalist community of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, for more than 135 years. Because of the high cost of upkeep and diminishing membership, the congregation voted to sell the building and grounds in May 2010. It was demolished in October 2011.

Universalist Church (Mitchellville, Iowa) United States historic place

The Universalist Church is a historic building located in Mitchellville, Iowa, United States. The congregation was organized in 1868 with a membership of thirty-five people. The first officers were: Thomas Mitchell, Moderator; Barlard Slate, Clerk; and Tillie Mitchell, Treasurer. The deacons were W.S. Jones, A. Rothrock and Pauline Weeks. Pastors included: W.W. King, T.C. Eaton, J.R. Sage, A. Vedder and F.W. Gillette. The church building was erected at a cost of $2,000. Built in 1868, it is the oldest documented building in Mitchellville. It is considered an "outstanding example of an early church design based on examples found in small New England towns." The building also served the town as its first school building. After the congregation disbanded they sold their property to the state of Iowa to use for weddings, funerals, and appropriate functions. The church building, along with two outhouses on the property, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

First Congregational Church of Oregon City United States historic place

The First Congregational Church of Oregon City, also known as Atkinson Memorial Congregational Church, is a historic building located at 6th and John Adams Sts. in Oregon City, Oregon. The congregation was formed in 1844 as a non-denominational Protestant congregation. In 1892 they affiliated with the Congregational Christian Church from the local Congregational Society that had been formed in 1849 from the 1844 congregation. The present building was constructed in the Gothic Revival style in 1925 after the previous building had been destroyed in a fire in 1923. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

First Unitarian Church of Marietta United States historic place

The First Unitarian Church of Marietta is a historic Unitarian Universalist church in the city of Marietta, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1869, it uses a building constructed in 1858 for one of its two predecessor churches; this building's high-quality architecture has led to its designation as a historic site.

Unitarian Universalist Church (Ann Arbor, Michigan) United States historic place

The Unitarian Universalist Church is a historic church building at 100 N. State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo United States historic place

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo is a historic church complex located at 695 Elmwood Avenue, in Buffalo, New York. The building was designed by architect Edward Austin Kent in 1906. Kent died in 1912 aboard the RMS Titanic and a memorial plaque is located in the church honoring him.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington United States historic place

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.

Unitarian Church (Burlington, Vermont) United States historic place

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

Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Church United States historic place

Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Church, also known as Coralville Town Hall, is a historic building located in Coralville, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

First Church of Christ, Scientist (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) United States historic place

The former First Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as The City Church, is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. Christian Science began in Boston in 1866 and it was introduced to Cedar Rapids twenty years later. A Sunday School was established in 1887 and it met at the old Dows Auditorium at Third Avenue and Third Street SE. The congregation was established in 1891 as an official branch of The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston. It was the first Christian Science congregation established in Iowa. They held their Wednesday evening services at the Peoples Unitarian Universalist Church. The congregation began construction on this building in 1914 and it was dedicated on Easter Sunday the following year. It is a red brick structure in the Neoclassical style. The rectangular building features a portico with four columns in the Doric order on the main facade, and a centered raised gable roof with cornice returns. The architectural style was chosen to "attract non-churchgoing people that may be intimidated by traditional religious structures." The congregation has subsequently moved to a new facility on Blairs Ferry Road, NE. This building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church United States historic place

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. November 9, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  2. Emma Husar (February 7, 2017). "Church holds a century of Iowa City history, its future is part of a proposed development". Iowa City-Cedar Rapids: Little Village. Retrieved 2018-11-15.