First Unitarian Church (Somerville, Massachusetts)

Last updated
First Unitarian Church
Somerville MA First Unitarian Church.jpg
The former First Unitarian Church, photographed in 2009.
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location130 Highland Ave, Somerville, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°23′15.2″N71°6′5.3″W / 42.387556°N 71.101472°W / 42.387556; -71.101472
Built1894-95
Architect Hartwell & Richardson
Architectural style Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No. 89001264 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 18, 1989

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. [2] The building presently (2022) houses the Mission Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Contents

Building history

The congregation that built this church was established in 1844 and built its first church in Central Hill Park in the same year. The new building was designed by architect Richard Bond of Boston and built by Louis C. Edgerly of Somerville. [3] It was completed in 1845 and in 1846 the congregation called its first pastor, John Turner Sargent, an associate and defender of Theodore Parker, the transcendentalist. [4] The building was destroyed by fire in 1852 and replaced in 1853-54 with a new church designed by architect Thomas W. Silloway, [5] which burned in 1867. [6] The third and last church in Central Hill Park was completed in 1869. In 1893 the City purchased the building as part of the site for the new Somerville High School, which was begun the same year. The fourth church, a block up Highland Avenue, was begun in 1894 to a design by Hartwell & Richardson, who also designed the new high school and the Broadway Winter Hill Congregational Church. They designed the building in the then-popular Richardsonian Romanesque style, named for Henry Hobson Richardson, who was not related to the architect of the Somerville church. [2] A Gothic Revival design was also proposed by Cram, Wentworth & Goodhue but was rejected. [7] The new church was completed in 1895, after which the old building was demolished. [4]

In 1930 the Second Unitarian Church of Somerville, organized in 1891, merged with the First Unitarian Church. [8] In 1975 the congregation was dissolved and in 1976 the building was purchased by the Mission Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, an Apostolic Pentacostalist church, which continues to occupy it in 2022.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. [1]

Architecture

The First Unitarian Church building is located on the south side of Highland Avenue, at its western corner with Trull Lane, about one block west of Somerville's cluster of civic buildings on Central Hill. The church is a handsome stone structure, with a tall and steeply pitched gable roof, and a square tower at its right front corner. Entrances are located on the north-facing front facade at either end of the gable, which has a bank of five rectangular stained-glass windows below three tall round-arch stained glass windows in the gable. The tower rises through two levels to a belfry which has tripled round-arch louvered openings on each side, with a fourth stage housing a multi-faced clock with stone piers at the corners rising to pyramidal caps. The tower is capped by a slate pyramidal roof. [2] The building is a fine local example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style for which its architects were well known. [2]

Stained glass

The church features extensive stained glass, including several memorial windows. The largest of these, in the center of the Highland Avenue facade, depicts Christ healing the sick and was dedicated in memory of Columbus Tyler (1805-1881) and Mary Elizabeth (Sawyer) Tyler (1806-1889), long-time supporters of the church. This is flanked by windows representing the Angel of Charity and the Angel of Faith, dedicated to Rufus B. Stickney and Nathan and Sally Tufts, respectively. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Unitarian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio)</span> 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.

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

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, built in 1894 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style is a historic building located at 25 Church Street in Bellville, Ohio. On January 1, 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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

The Second Church in Newton, United Church of Christ, is located at 60 Highland Street in West Newton, a village of Newton, Massachusetts. This church is rooted in the Congregational denomination, welcomes all visitors, and does not require uniformity of belief. Its present church building, a Gothic Victorian structure designed by architects Allen & Collens and completed in 1916, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

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

United Parish of Auburndale, formerly the Auburndale Congregational Church, is a historic church at 64 Hancock Street in the Auburndale village of Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1857 for an 1850 congregation and repeatedly enlarged, it is a prominent regional example of Romanesque architecture in wood. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 1986.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Congregational Church (Newton, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Central Congregational Church is an historic church building located at 218 Walnut Street, in the village of Newtonville in Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1895, it is the only ecclesiastical work in the city by the noted Boston architects Hartwell and Richardson, and one of its finest examples of Romanesque architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Since September 7, 2003, it has been the Newton Campus of the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church.

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

Allston Congregational Church is a historic Congregational church building at 31-41 Quint Avenue in the Allston neighborhood Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1890–91 to a design by Allston native Eugene L. Clark, it is a prominent local example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. The property includes a Shingle style parsonage built about the same time. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The building presently houses a mosque and the Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace.

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

The Calvinistic Congregational Church is an historic church building located at 820 Main Street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In 1967, the congregation joined with the First United Methodist Church of Fitchburg to form a cooperative ministry called Faith United Parish. Built in 1896. the church was designed by architect Henry M. Francis, and is one of the city's finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Since 2013 the building has been owned by the Casa De Gracia y Restauración.

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

The Broadway Winter Hill Congregational Church is a historic church building at 404 Broadway in Somerville, Massachusetts. Built in 1890–91 to a design by Hartwell and Richardson for a Congregationalist congregation founded in 1865, it is one of the city's only examples of Shingle style architecture, and one of its finer architect-designed buildings from the 19th century. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is now home to the Vida Real Church.

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

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.

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

The Trinity Church, formerly the First Congregational Church, is a historic church in Waltham, Massachusetts. The present church building, an architecturally distinctive blend of Romanesque and Georgian Revival styling, was built in 1870 for a congregation established in 1820. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<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 Congregational Church, United Church of Christ</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, also known as the New Old South Congregational Church, is a historic church at 235 Main Street in Farmington, Maine. The congregation's present sanctuary is a brick Romanesque structure designed by George M. Coombs and was completed in 1887. It is the town's finest 19th-century church, and one of the most architecturally sophisticated in the region. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The congregation, established in 1814, celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartwell and Richardson</span> American architectural firm

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housatonic Congregational Church</span> United States historic place

The Housatonic Congregational Church is a historic church building at 1089 Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Built in 1892 it is a prominent local example of Queen Anne Revival architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It is now home to the Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire.

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

The First Congregational Church of South Hadley is a historic church building at 1 Church Street in the center of South Hadley, Massachusetts. Completed in 1895, it is a prominent local example of Romanesque Revival architecture, designed by Henry J. Preston. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The congregation, founded in 1733, is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. K. A. J. and Cora Mackenzie House</span> Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The K.A.J. and Cora Mackenzie House is a Richardsonian Romanesque revival style building in Northwest Portland, Oregon, situated on the corner of NW 20th Avenue and NW Hoyt Street, just blocks from its partner organization, the William Temple Thrift Store. Although the house is most well-known now for its association with the William Temple community, it was originally commissioned in 1891 by Kenneth A. J. Mackenzie, a medical professional in Oregon, and his wife, Cora Mackenzie, as their private residence. The Portland architecture firm of McCaw, Martin, and White was selected by the MacKenzies to design the house. The Mackenzies owned the house and resided in it until Kenneth A. J. Mackenzie's death in 1920, when it was sold. The house has had several owners since then, eventually being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The house has three stories and is roughly 7,100 square feet. The Mackenzie house is a prominent example of the influence of the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival architectural style on the west coast.

<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">Plymouth Congregational Church (Providence, Rhode Island)</span> Historic church in Rhode Island, United States

The Plymouth Congregational Church is an historic church building at 1014 Broad Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Completed in 1919 for a congregation founded in 1878, it is a well-preserved example of late Gothic Revival architecture, designed by Boston architect George F. Newton. Since 2016, the building has been home to the Iglesia Visión Evangélica congregation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Unity</span> Historic church building in Springfield, Massachusetts

The Church of the Unity was a church building designed by H. H. Richardson and built in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1866. It housed the Third Congregational Society, a Unitarian congregation founded in 1819. It was demolished in 1961.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NRHP nomination for First Unitarian Church". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  3. R. M. Hodges, An Address Delivered at the Laying of the Corner-stone of a House of Worship for the First Congregational Society in Somerville (Cambridge: Metcalf & Company, 1844)
  4. 1 2 Somerville, Past and Present, ed. Edward A. Samuels and Henry H. Kimball (Boston: Samuels and Kimball, 1897)
  5. "New Unitarian Church at Somerville" in Boston Daily Atlas, February 19, 1853, 1.
  6. Rev. Lucius R. Eastman Jr., "Somerville and its Churches" in Congregational Quarterly 10, no. 3 (July 1868): 241-244.
  7. "Illustrations" in American Architect and Building News 46, no. 980 (October 6, 1894)
  8. The Building as Church, Museum of the Modern Renaissance
  9. "Somerville's New Church" in Boston Daily Globe, September 7, 1895, 12.