Gothic Church New England

Ashby Congregational Church // 1835

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Combining Greek and Gothic revival styles, the 1835 Ashby Congregational Church in Ashby, Massachusetts, is a significant building showcasing the transitional tastes of ecclesiastical architecture in 1830s New England. The church had its beginnings in 1818, when a group of church members disillusioned to the current teachings separated from the town’s Unitarian roots and the accompanying meeting house, the First Parish Church. In 1820 a church for the Congregationalists was built on the opposite end of the town common. In 1835 it was sold and this, the current church building was constructed on a new site facing the Common. The original 1820 church building became the Ashby Academy and is now a Grange Hall. The design of the Ashby Congregational Church shows the leaning towards Gothic detailing wit its prominent pointed arch detailing, yet retains some traditional Greek Revival features like the two-story pediment and pilasters at the belfry.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brookline // 1852

Buildings of New England1 Comment

The St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Brookline, Massachusetts is an architecturally and historically significant landmark to the area. The congregation was established in 1849, and within months, in May 1850, the corporation, which was made up of wealthy Boston-area residents, accepted an offer from Augustus Aspinwall of a building lot to erect a church. Esteemed ecclesiastical architect, Richard Upjohn, the architect of Trinity Church in New York, was hired to design the church in Brookline of the same, Gothic style. The wealth of the congregation was evident by the consistent expansions of the complex, to include a chapel, rectory, parish house, and other expansions to those buildings. St. Paul’s Church is the oldest religious structure in Brookline, and almost was lost when the sanctuary was devastated by fire in 1976, leaving only its exterior walls and two stained glass windows. The congregation rebuilt the interiors and the building remains well-preserved at its exterior, built of Roxbury Puddingstone.

Highgate Springs Union Church // 1877

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Rural parts of Vermont always surprises me with amazing old buildings. This white wood-frame church is known as the Highgate Springs Union Church, an 1877 edifice which effortlessly blends Victorian Gothic and Stick style details. The building became the village’s union church, providing a worship space for members of all denominations who on their own, could not afford the cost of building and maintaining a building. The small congregations eventually moved out and the church appears to now be largely unused beyond small events or weddings/funerals. I am glad to see it is kept up well at least!

Channing Memorial Church // 1880

Buildings of New England2 Comments

The Channing Memorial Church of Newport, Rhode Island was named in the memory of William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), an ardent abolitionist and founder of the Unitarian faith in America. In 1835, ten men formed the first Unitarian Society in Newport in October 1835 and met in the home of Channing’s grandfather, William Ellery, one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. In 1879, the congregation’s minister, Rev. M. K. Schermerhorn, conceived the idea of a memorial to William Emery Channing, whose centenary would be the following year. He decided upon the ambitious project of a new church building and planning began immediately. On Rev. Channing’s 100th birthday, the cornerstone laying ceremony occurred in 1880. The Victorian Gothic stone church designed by Elbridge Boyden took a year to be completed and was was built from granite, cut in Lyme, Connecticut. Inside, two stained glass windows, the first ecclesiastical commission of John LaFarge, flood the interior spaces with warm colored light. The church looks much as it did when completed almost 150 years ago, thanks to an active congregation preserving this great landmark.

Warren Baptist Church // 1844

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment
Photo by Kenneth Zirkel

Stone churches are some of the most entrancing and imposing buildings, so I always have to feature them when I see them! This is the Warren Baptist Church on Main Street in Warren, Rhode Island. Built in 1844 from plans by famed architect Russell Warren, the Gothic style edifice features randomly laid rubblestone which adds to the intrigue. This is the third church building on this site. The first (1764) was burned by the British in 1778; its replacement in 1784 was demolished for the present building in 1843. Interestingly, this is the site that the predecessor college for Brown University began! The Baptist school, an institution parallel to those of the Congregationalists at Harvard and Yale and the Presbyterians at Princeton, was first known as Rhode Island College. In 1770, the school moved to Providence, the home of Baptism in this country and where Baptists promised more financial support than those in Newport , and changed its name to Brown University in 1804. This Baptist congregation is still very active in town and they maintain the building and its stunning stained glass windows very well!

St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church // 1870

Buildings of New England2 Comments

The second oldest Roman Catholic parish in Connecticut can be found in New Haven, at the St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. The parish was originally established in 1832, largely by Irish immigrants who settled in the area for work. The current St. Mary’s church building, located on Hillhouse Avenue near Yale University, was designed in 1870 by ecclesiastical architect James Murphy, and it was dedicated in 1874. The construction of a Catholic church on Hillhouse Avenue was strongly opposed by the Protestant elite who lived in the area, but the congregation prevailed. The Victorian Gothic style church is constructed of local blue stone and granite and while plans by Murphy originally included a corner spire for the building, it was not built until 1982 when the building was restored courtesy of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus fraternal organization was actually founded in 1882 in New Haven by Father Michael J. McGivney, who originally held meetings in the basement of this church.

Trinity Parish Chapel, Southport // 1872

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Trinity Episcopal Church in the Southport section of Fairfield, Connecticut was established in 1725. As the parish and town grew, a large and architecturally stunning church was erected in 1862, and housed services for some of the wealthiest and well-connected residents of Connecticut. During Rev. Edward Wells’ rectorship, it was decided that a parish school was needed, and as an ardent believer in religious training, he started planning for a new chapel for use as a school. The Trinity Parish Chapel was designed by Southport architects Disbrow & Taylor and erected 1871-72. This Gothic Revival building is an excellent example of the rural church architecture which enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the country during the mid 19th century. Designed on a simple rectangular and decorative wooden bell cote, the small chapel’s board-and-batten siding and modest though strong Gothic details create a composition which compliments the more grand church just steps away. The chapel was originally built as a free-standing building, but was connected by a large, brick addition in the 20th century.

United Church of Christ, Waterbury // 1824

Buildings of New England2 Comments

As soon as settlers arrived in Waterbury, they began worshipping their respective religions, largely out of private homes. The town’s meeting house was occupied by some congregations, but there was no real union church for the many growing congregations. This edifice was originally erected in 1824 as a united Congregational church by local builders, the Carpenter Brothers (how perfect is that?) The church was modernized in about 1860 with Gothic Revival detailing, which included the raising of its foundation, bargeboard, spires, and a new steeple. It was updated later in 1880 with a new chapel and ten years later, with stained glass windows. It remains today as an active church and is in a great state of preservation.

Dorset Congregational Church // 1909

Buildings of New England6 Comments

Arguably the most high-style building in the quaint village of Dorset, Vermont is the Congregational Church, which appropriately sits on Church Street. The original congregational church in Dorset was located in nearby Maple Hill Cemetery. When the wood structure burned in 1832, an new wooden church was built on this site. The second wooden building burned in 1907, and then this church was built, but of fireproof construction. Jordan Greene, an architect from New York, designed this Neo Gothic Revival style in the historic district. The church was constructed by the contracting firm of O. W. Norcross, partner in the Norcross-West Marble Company, which donated the building stone from its South Dorset quarry. The design is dominated by a massive square central tower that ascends its facade and is capped by pinnacles. Behind the tower, the gable-roofed church is built of rough-faced Dorset marble laid in patterned coursed ashlar and trimmed with dressed stone. How many other marble churches can you think of?