First Congregational Church (Eugene, Oregon)

Last updated
First Congregational Church
First Congregational Church (Eugene, Oregon).jpg
The Willcox Building (former First Congregational Church) in 2011
USA Oregon location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location492 E. 13th Ave., Eugene, Oregon
Coordinates 44°2′42.9″N123°5′7.7″W / 44.045250°N 123.085472°W / 44.045250; -123.085472 Coordinates: 44°2′42.9″N123°5′7.7″W / 44.045250°N 123.085472°W / 44.045250; -123.085472
Built1925
Architect Willcox, Walter R. B.
Architectural style Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Mediterranean Revival
NRHP reference No. 80003333 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 12, 1980

The First Congregational Church building, of Eugene, Oregon, is a former church building listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1925. Also known as the Old Congregational Church and more recently as the Willcox Building, it includes Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals and Mediterranean Revival architecture.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1] [2] Having ceased to be used as a church, the building was sold in 1956. It then served as a memorial chapel from 1956 to 1979. [3] After being sold again in 1979, to Associated Management, Inc., it was put to use for other activities. It was renamed the Willcox Building, after the architect who designed it, Walter R. B. Willcox [3] (1869–1947). [4]

From 1980, the building was occupied by a theater known as the Bijou Art Cinema. The Bijou permanently closed in 2021. [5]

According to its NRHP nomination, it "is significant for its architectural excellence. It is the best of the remaining local structures designed by Walter R. B. Willcox, a Northwest architect and educator of considerable renown, and considered to be his only ecclesiastic building in Oregon." [3]

Related Research Articles

South Parish Congregational Church and Parish House United States historic place

The South Parish Congregational Church and Parish House is a historic church at 9 Church Street in Augusta, Maine. Built in 1865, the church is a major Gothic Revival work of Maine's leading mid-19th century architect, Francis H. Fassett, and its 1889 parish house, designed by James H. Cochrane, is a rare example in the state of Stick style architecture. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The congregation was established in 1773, when the area was part of Hallowell.

Shoreham Congregational Church United States historic place

Shoreham Congregational Church is a historic church on School Street in Shoreham, Vermont. Built in 1846 by a local master builder, it is one of the state's finest examples of ecclesiastical Greek Revival architecture, and also housed local town meetings for more than a century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Richmond Congregational Church United States historic place

The Richmond Congregational Church is a historic church at 20 Church Street in Richmond, Vermont, United States. Built in 1903-04, it is a significant local example of Colonial Revival architecture, designed by prominent Vermont architect Walter R. B. Willcox. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; the minister is Rev. Katelyn Macrae.

Congregational Church of Chelsea United States historic place

The United Church of Chelsea, previously the Congregational Church of Chelsea, is a historic church on Chelsea Green in Chelsea, Vermont. Built 1811–1813 with later stylistic additions, it is a fine example of Federal period architecture with Greek Revival alterations. Originally built for a Congregationalist group, it now serves as a union church, affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Lee Arden Thomas

Lee Arden Thomas (1886–1953) was an architect in Bend and Portland, Oregon, United States. He graduated in 1907 from Oregon State University. He completed many projects in Bend, often partnering with local architect Hugh Thompson. His work in that area includes the planning for Bend Amateur Athletic Club Gymnasium (1917–1918), Redmond Union High School, and the Washington School in Corvallis.

Fourth Congregational Church United States historic place

The Fourth Congregational Church, also known historically as the Horace Bushnell Congregational Church and now as the Liberty Christian Center International, is a historic church at Albany Avenue and Vine Street in Hartford, Connecticut. The church building was built in 1913-14 using parts of an older Greek Revival church, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architecture and role in local historical preservation efforts.

Morris H. Whitehouse American architect

Morris Homans Whitehouse was an American architect whose work included the design of the Gus Solomon United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

Rogue Elk Hotel United States historic place

The Rogue Elk Hotel is a historic building in Trail, Oregon.

First Congregational Church (Portland, Oregon) Historic church in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The First Congregational Church is a church located in downtown Portland, Oregon, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction took place over a period of six years, from 1889 to 1895. The building was designed by Swiss architect Henry J. Hefty in Venetian Gothic style. The interior includes stained-glass windows, commissioned in 1906, made by Portland's Povey Brothers Studio. The building's height to the top of the bell tower is 175 feet to 185 feet.

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.

Allen & Collens American architect

Allen & Collens was an architectural partnership between Francis Richmond Allen and Charles Collens that was active from 1904 to 1931. Allen had previously worked in the Boston-based partnerships Allen & Kenway (1878–91) and Allen & Vance (1896–98), which executed Lathrop House (1901) and Davison House (1902) at Vassar College. The firm was known for its Gothic Revival design work.

St. Marys Episcopal Church (Weyanoke, Louisiana) United States historic place

St. Mary's Episcopal Church is a historic church building in Weyanoke, Louisiana.

German Evangelical Immanuel Congregational Church United States historic place

The German Evangelical Immanuel Congregational Church in Brush, Colorado is a historic church at 209 Everett Street. It was built in 1927 and was added to the National Register in 2005.

Frederick Albert Hale was an American architect who practiced in states including Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. According to a 1977 NRHP nomination for the Keith-O'Brien Building in Salt Lake City, "Hale worked mostly in the classical styles and seemed equally adept at Beaux-Arts Classicism, Neo-Classical Revival or Georgian Revival." He also employed Shingle and Queen Anne styles for several residential structures. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Housatonic Congregational Church 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.

First Congregational Church and Parish House United States historic place

The First Congregational Church and Parish House in Memphis, Tennessee are a historic church and parish house on a single lot at 234 S. Watkins Street. The Georgian Revival-style church is a high one-story church which was built in 1910. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Suffield Historic District United States historic place

The Suffield Historic District is a historic district encompassing the Main Street area of the town center of Suffield, Connecticut, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is part of a larger local historic district. It runs along North and South Main Street from Muddy Brook to north of Mapleton Avenue, and includes a diversity of 18th through early 20th-century architecture.

John Stevens (architect)

John Stevens (1824-1881) was an American architect who practiced in Boston, Massachusetts. He was known for ecclesiastical design, and designed churches and other buildings across New England.

Plymouth Congregational Church (Providence, Rhode Island) United States historic place

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.

The Moses P. Perley House is a historic house at 527 Main Street in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. Built in 1903, it is a locally prominent example of the Shingle and Colonial Revival styles of architecture, designed by Burlington architect Walter R. B. Willcox for a local businessman. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. It is now a bed and breakfast inn.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Janet K. Walsh (August 28, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: First Congregational Church / Willcox Building". National Park Service. and accompanying photos
  4. "Campus Loses Note Figure: Professor Willcox, Emeritus, Dies". (April 21, 1947). The Oregonian , p. 9.
  5. Bijou-cinemas.com [ full citation needed ]