Williston-West Church and Parish House

Last updated
Williston-West Church and Parish House
Williston-West Church, Portland ME.jpg
Williston-West Church
USA Maine location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location32 Thomas Street, Portland, Maine
Coordinates 43°38′52″N70°16′16″W / 43.64778°N 70.27111°W / 43.64778; -70.27111
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1897;127 years ago (1897)
Architect Francis H. Fassett (church), John Calvin Stevens (parish house)
Architectural styleGothic
NRHP reference No. 80000232 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 22, 1980

The Williston-West Church and Parish House are an historic church and house at 32 Thomas Street in the West End neighborhood of Portland, Maine, United States. The church was built in 1897, and is a significant Gothic work by Francis H. Fassett. The parish house, built in 1905, was designed by John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens. The church is historically notable as the founding site of Christian Endeavor International, consider a major forerunner of modern youth ministries. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [2] The church congregation merged with another in 2011, and the property was sold for rehabilitation and redevelopment. It now houses professional offices.

Contents

Description and history

The Williston-West Church and Parish House stand in Portland West End, on the west side of Thomas Street, occupying the north half of the block between Carroll and Clifford Streets. The church, standing at the corner of Carroll and Thomas, is a somewhat irregularly shaped complex, dominated by a square three-story tower at the street corner. The walls are buttressed, and lined with Gothic-arched windows, with a large rose window in the main facade. Separated from the church by a courtyard to its south is the parish house, a two-story brick building of compatible style. [2]

Early 20th century postcard Williston Church, Portland, Me (NYPL b12647398-67683).tiff
Early 20th century postcard

The church complex is unusual for containing works separated in time by two of the city's most prominent architects. Francis H. Fassett was the city's leading architect in the mid-19th century, and mentored John Calvin Stevens in his early years. The church is also of historical note, for it was here that Francis Edward Clark established Christian Endeavor, a non-denominational youth ministry that is now international in its scope. [2]

With its congregation declining in size, the Williston-West Church was merged in 2011 with the Immanuel Baptist-American Baptist Churches to form the Williston-Immanuel Church, which meets in a church on High Street. [3] The church property was then sold to a developer. In 2014 the property was involved in a rezoning lawsuit in which the city of Portland eventually prevailed in the state supreme court. [4] It now houses the offices of Majella Global Technologies.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis H. Fassett</span> American architect (1823–1908)

Francis Henry Fassett was an American architect in Maine who built as many as 400 homes and buildings throughout the state. Working in the Victorian High Gothic and Queen Anne styles, he especially influenced the look of Portland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Calvin Stevens</span> American architect

John Calvin Stevens was an American architect who worked in the Shingle Style, in which he was a major innovator, and the Colonial Revival style. He designed more than 1,000 buildings in the state of Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine)</span> United States historic place

Evergreen Cemetery is a garden style cemetery in the Deering neighborhood of Portland, Maine. With 239 acres (97 ha) of land, it is the largest cemetery in the state. Established in 1855 in what was then Westbrook, the cemetery is home to one of the state's most prominent collections of funerary art. The 140-acre (57 ha) historical portion of the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland City Hall (Maine)</span> United States historic place

Portland City Hall is the center of city government in Portland, Maine. It is located at 389 Congress Street, and is set in a prominent rise, anchoring a cluster of civic buildings at the eastern end of Portland's downtown. The structure was built in 1909-12 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West End (Portland, Maine)</span>

The West End is a downtown neighborhood in Portland, Maine. It is located on the western side of Portland's peninsula primarily on Bramhall Hill and is noted for its architecture and history. The neighborhood is home to many late 19th- and early 20th-century homes and, in 2010, it was called "one of the best preserved Victorian neighborhoods in the country". The Western Promenade, a park laid out in 1836, overlooks the forests and small settlements of Southwestern Maine, along with the distant White Mountains. Other historic structures include 68 High Street, The Gothic House, Brown House, Butler House, Ingraham House, Morrill Mansion and the Minott House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immanuel Episcopal Church (Mechanicsville, Virginia)</span> Historic church in Virginia, United States

Immanuel Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church and cemetery located near Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the Old Baptist Meeting House, is an historic church on Hillside Street in Yarmouth, Maine. Built in 1796 and twice altered in the 19th century, it is believed to be the oldest surviving church built for a Baptist congregation in the state of Maine. It is now owned by the town and maintained by a local non-profit organization.

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

South Bridgton Congregational Church is a historic church on Fosterville Road in South Bridgton, Maine. Built in 1870 to a design by Francis H. Fassett, it is a remarkably sophisticated example of Italianate and Gothic Revival architecture for a comparatively rural setting. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

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

The First Baptist Church is a historic church at 1 Park Street in Waterville, Maine. Built in 1826, it is the city's oldest standing public building. It was renovated in 1875 to a design by Francis H. Fassett. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Parish Congregational Church and Parish House</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proprietors Meeting House and Parish House</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Proprietors Meeting House and Parish House, known for many years as the Universalist Church of Scarborough and South Buxton, is a historic church complex at the junction of Maine State Route 22 and Old County Road in the village of South Buxton, on the Scarborough side of the town line with Buxton, Maine. The church, built about 1839, is a fine local example of transitional Federal-Gothic Revival architecture, and the adjacent parish house, built in 1914, is a good local example of the Bungalow style. The property, purchased for use of the Maine Hindu Temple in 2012, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The Hindu Temple has since moved out and the property is now vacant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deering Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Maine, United States

The Deering Street Historic District is a historic district in the Downtown and Parkside neighborhoods of Portland, Maine. Encompassing all of Deering Street and much of State Street, as well as adjacent portions of Congress and Mellen Streets, it is a cohesive collection of high quality architect-designed buildings from the second half of the 19th century, that were originally predominantly residential in nature. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Luke's Lutheran Church</span> Historic church in New York, United States

Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, once known as The German Evangelical Lutheran Saint Luke's Church, is a historic Lutheran church located on Restaurant Row at 308 West 46th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in the Theater District of Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Promenade Historic District</span> Historic district in Maine, United States

The Western Promenade Historic District encompasses a large late 19th- and early 20th-century neighborhood in the West End of Portland, Maine. This area of architecturally distinctive homes was home to three of the city's most prominent architects: Francis H. Fassett, John Calvin Stevens, and Frederick A. Tompson, and was Portland's most fashionable neighborhood in the late 19th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westbrook College Historic District</span> Historic district in Maine, United States

The Westbrook College Historic District is a historic district in the Deering neighborhood of Portland, Maine. It is centered on the campus of the former Westbrook College, founded in 1831 as the nation's first coeducational boarding school. The college merged with the University of New England in 1996. The district, which includes six buildings constructed between 1833 and 1952, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster Block (Portland, Maine)</span> United States historic place

The Lancaster Block is an historic commercial building in downtown Portland, Maine. Located at 50 Monument Square, it is a fine local example of commercial Romanesque Revival architecture. It was built in 1881 and enlarged in 1908; it is named for Lancaster, New Hampshire, the hometown of its builder, J. B. Brown. it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick A. Tompson</span> American architect

Frederick Augustus Tompson was an American architect from Portland, Maine.

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

The Thomaston Historic District encompasses much of the historic town center of Thomaston, Maine. With a settlement history dating to the 17th century, the town is now a showcase of 19th-century architectural styles up to the 1870s. The district extends for about 2 miles (3.2 km) along United States Route 1, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The historical buildings and structures of Yarmouth, Maine, represent a variety of building styles and usages, largely based on its past as home to almost sixty mills over a period of roughly 250 years. These mills include that of grain, lumber, pulp and cotton. Additionally, almost three hundred vessels were launched by Yarmouth's shipyards in the century between 1790 and 1890, and the homes of master shipwrights and ship captains can still be found throughout the town.

George Burnham was an American architect from Portland, Maine. He was active in the second half of the 20th century and first half of the 21st century.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Williston-West Church and Parish House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  3. Jordan, Glenn (June 27, 2011). "Churches 'find each other'". Portland Press-Herald.
  4. "Court backs city in Williston-West rezoning". theforecaster.net. 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-11-27.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Williston Church (Portland, Maine) at Wikimedia Commons