Congdon Street Baptist Church

Last updated
Congdon Street Baptist Church
Congdon Street Baptist Church-2.jpg
(2012)
USA Rhode Island location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°49′42″N71°24′25″W / 41.82833°N 71.40694°W / 41.82833; -71.40694 Coordinates: 41°49′42″N71°24′25″W / 41.82833°N 71.40694°W / 41.82833; -71.40694
Built1874
Architect Hartshorn & Wilcox
Architectural styleItalianate
Part of College Hill Historic District (ID70000019)
NRHP reference No. 71000032 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 21, 1971
Designated NHLDCPNovember 10, 1970

The Congdon Street Baptist Church is an historically African American church at 17 Congdon Street in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island.

Contents

Description and history

The congregation was established in 1819, and originally met in a building located near the present site, which was torn down in 1869. The present building, a single-story Italianate structure, was built in 1874–75. The eaves and gables are decorated with sawn woodwork that resembles brick corbelling. The windows along the long sides of the building are tall sash windows with a segmented-arch top, while the street-facing gable end has a three-part round-arch window. The stages of the square tower repeat the corbel woodwork at each level. The church is set into a hill, exposing a full brick basement, through which entrance to the building is gained. The interior is decorated with plain Victorian woodwork and stencilling on the walls. [2]

The architects were Hartshorn & Wilcox. [3] Hartshorn was the successor of Thomas A. Tefft and this church echoes many of his designs.

In December 1968, 65 Black students from Brown University marched down College Hill to the Congdon Street Baptist Church. They remained in the church for three days, [4] as a protest of the small number of Black students admitted to the University as well as a lack of institutional support. [5]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 for its architectural significance, [1] and is part of the College Hill Historic District

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church in America</span> Historic church in Rhode Island, United States

The First Baptist Church in America is the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, also known as the First Baptist Meetinghouse. It is the oldest Baptist church congregation in the United States, founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The present church building was erected between 1774 and 75 and held its first meetings in May 1775. It is located at 75 North Main Street in Providence's College Hill neighborhood. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Hill, Providence, Rhode Island</span> Neighborhood of Providence in Rhode Island, United States

College Hill is a historic neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, and one of six neighborhoods comprising the city's East Side. It is roughly bounded by South and North Main Street to the west, Power Street to the south, Governor Street and Arlington Avenue to the east and Olney Street to the north. The neighborhood's primary commercial area extends along Thayer Street, a strip frequented by students in the Providence area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor Henry Lippitt House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Governor Henry Lippitt House is a historic house museum at 199 Hope Street on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. A National Historic Landmark, it is one of the finest Italianate mansion houses in the state, and considered one of the best-preserved examples of Victorian-era houses in the US. It is notable for its association with Henry Lippitt (1818–91), a wealthy textile magnate who was the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island. The house is owned by Preserve Rhode Island, and is open to the public for tours seasonally or by appointment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Hall (Brown University)</span> United States historic place

University Hall is the first and oldest building on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Built in 1770, the building is one of only seven extant college buildings built prior to the American Revolution. According to architectural historian Bryant F. Tolles Jr., the structure is "one of the genuine icons of early American collegiate architecture."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howland Cultural Center</span> United States historic place

The Howland Cultural Center, formerly known as Howland Library, is located on Main Street in Beacon, New York, United States. It is an ornate brick building designed by Richard Morris Hunt in the 1870s. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Baptist Church</span> Historic church in Arkansas, United States

The Centennial Baptist Church is a historic church building at the corner of York and Columbia Streets in Helena, Arkansas. It is significant for its association with Elias Camp Morris (1855-1922), who was the pastor of the church from 1879 and who was a driving force in the establishment of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Morris served as the convention's president from 1895 until his death, and his church served functionally as the organization's headquarters. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Brown House (Providence, Rhode Island)</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The John Brown House is the first mansion built in Providence, Rhode Island, located at 52 Power Street on College Hill where it borders the campus of Brown University. The house is named after the original owner, one of the early benefactors of the university, merchant, statesman, and slave trader John Brown. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1968. John Quincy Adams considered it "the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Hill Historic District (Providence, Rhode Island)</span> Historic district in Rhode Island, United States

The College Hill Historic District is located in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District on December 30, 1970. The College Hill local historic district, established in 1960, partially overlaps the national landmark district. Properties within the local historic district are regulated by the city's historic district zoning ordinance, and cannot be altered without approval from the Providence Historic District Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas P. Ives House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Thomas P. Ives House is a National Historic Landmark at 66 Power Street in the College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. Built in 1803–06, this brick house is an extremely well-preserved and little-altered example of Adamesque-Federal style. The house was built by Caleb Ormsbee, a Providence master builder, for Thomas Poynton Ives, a wealthy merchant. Although two of its principal chambers were redecorated in the 1870s, these alterations were reversed in the 1950s. The house was in Ives family hands for more than 150 years. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corliss–Carrington House</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

The Corliss–Carrington House is a National Historic Landmark house at 66 Williams Street in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. Built in 1812, it is significant as a high-quality and well-preserved example of an Adamesque-Federal style town house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Building</span> United States historic place

The Elizabeth Building is a historic commercial building at 100 North Main Street in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The five-story masonry building was built in 1872 for noted local developer Rufus Waterman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market House (Providence, Rhode Island)</span> United States historic place

The Market House is a historic three-story brick market house in Market Square, in the College Hill, a neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, USA. The building was constructed between 1773 and 1775 and designed by prominent local architects, Joseph Brown and Declaration of Independence signer Stephen Hopkins. The bottom floor of the house was used as a market, and the upper level was used for holding meetings. Similar buildings existed in other American cities, such as Faneuil Hall in Boston and the Old Brick Market in Newport. The building housed the Providence City Council in the decades before the completion of City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Station No. 4 (Pawtucket, Rhode Island)</span> United States historic place

Fire Station Number 4 or Fire Station No. 4 is a historic fire station located at 474 Broadway in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The building historically has also been called the Collyer Fire Station. The Queen Anne Style station was built in 1890. It is a 2+12-story, hip-roofed rectangular brick building with two brick wings and a bell tower. Constructed of red brick with sandstone trim and sandstone lintels and sills on the windows, the building has a foliate terracotta plaque bearing its name and date of construction. The fire station was closed as a firehouse in 1974, when the current Fire Station Number 4 on Cottage Street opened. The interior of the building was greatly modified to accommodate offices and meeting rooms by the time of its listing on the national register. In 2014, the building is being used by the Catholic Charities of Providence. Fire Station Number 4 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Hill Historic District (Detroit)</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Sugar Hill Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan. It contains 14 structures located along three streets: East Forest, Garfield, and East Canfield, between Woodward Avenue on the west and John R. on the east. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church of Ossining</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The First Baptist Church of Ossining is located in the center of the village of Ossining, New York, United States. It is a brick building in the Gothic Revival architectural style with a tall wooden steeple built in the 1870s, one of Ossining's most prominent landmarks. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sixteen years later, in 1989, it was included as a contributing property to the Downtown Ossining Historic District when it was listed on the Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonesborough Historic District</span> Historic district in Tennessee, United States

The Jonesborough Historic District is a historic district in Jonesborough, Tennessee, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Jonesboro Historic District in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake University Campus Historic District</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

The Drake University Campus Historic District is located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The historic district contains six buildings. Five of the buildings are collegiate buildings on the Drake University campus and one is a church. The period of significance is from when the university was founded in 1881 to the end of the presidency of Hill M. Bell in 1918. The historic district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. It is part of the Drake University and Related Properties in Des Moines, Iowa, 1881—1918 MPS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles P. Hartshorn</span> American architect

Charles P. Hartshorn was an American architect practicing in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a popular designer there in the decade immediately following the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles F. Wilcox</span> American architect

Charles F. Wilcox (1845–1905) was an American architect practicing in Providence, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Brewing Company Plant</span> United States historic place

The American Brewing Company Plant, owned by the American Brewing Company, is a historic brewery complex at 431 Harris Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island that operated between 1892 and 1922. It is a well-preserved example of a state of the art late 19th century brewery building, its original functions still discernible in its layout. It was only used as a brewery until 1922, when it was shut down by Prohibition; it has served as a warehouse and storage facility for most of the time since. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Congdon Street Baptist Church" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  3. Woodward, William McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. 1986.
  4. RankTribe (6 May 2017). "Brown Women Speak: Oral histories illuminate lives of Pembroke, Brown women". Black News. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. Hyde-Keller, O'rya (15 June 2017). "What's past is prologue: BCSC at 40". Brown University. News from Brown. Retrieved 16 February 2022.