Historic Church

St. Rita’s Roman Catholic Church // 1916

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

A Roman Catholic parish was established in the South Coast/Cape Cod area by 1830 in Sandwich, where a large glass company employed a number of Irish immigrants. Over the course of the 19th century, several mission churches were established, and eventually a second parish, St. Patrick’s, was established in Wareham in 1911. Soon after, a mission was established in nearby Marion to serve the summertime Catholic community there, where many Irish laborers worked on the coastal estates there. A parcel of land was acquired by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fall River and noted ecclesiastical architect Matthew Sullivan, was selected to furnish plans for the small church. Matthew Sullivan was a partner in the firm of Maginnis, Walsh and Sullivan, which was widely known for its ecclesiastical work, where he too specialized in religious buildings. St. Rita’s Roman Catholic Church is an example of an early 20th century chapel in the Craftsman style, characterized by eaves marked by long projecting rafter tails and a bold entry framed by Tuscan columns, but with the unique use of brick walls.

Marion Congregational Chapel // 1885

Buildings of New England1 Comment

Completed in 1885 in the small coastal village of Marion, Massachusetts, the Marion Congregational Chapel was one of the last major gifts from Elizabeth Pitcher Taber (1791–1888), the wealthy widow whose patronage shaped the town’s entire civic landscape. Ms. Taber in her later years had already funded Marion’s library, founded Tabor Academy, and built its academy hall before purchasing a vacant lot on Main Street to build this chapel for her church, the First Congregational Church of Marion. Built in 1885, the chapel is designed in the texturally rich Shingle Style that was then sweeping New England’s coastal towns by the late 19th century with its continuous wood-shingle siding and gabled massing gave it a warmer, more approachable character than the town’s earlier Greek Revival and Italianate landmarks. The chapel stands out for its rubblestone entry tower and the trio of polygonal bays on the primary facade. For its first several years it doubled as Marion’s only real venue for public lectures and amateur theater, an arrangement that reportedly so dismayed Taber over the poor quality of the “worldly theatricals” staged there that she went on to fund a dedicated Music Hall, designed by architect William Gibbons Preston nearby. Given the fact Ms. Taber so-often utilized Preston as architect for her gifts to Marion (and as he was a summer resident here), it is probable that he too designed this Shingle style chapel. The Congregational Chapel stands today as a smaller, later addition to Marion’s Congregational history, which stretches back to the town’s original 1799 meetinghouse (now the Marion General Store) and the Greek Revival church built across the street in 1841 which is still home to the First Congregational Church of Marion.


First Universalist Church, Marion – Marion Arts Center // 1833

Buildings of New England1 Comment

I do love a good adaptive reuse story! This historic church building on Main and Pleasant streets in the Wharf Village of Marion, Massachusetts, was constructed in 1833 for the town’s growing and new Universalist congregation. Architect Seth Eaton was hired and furnished plans, likely relying on neighbor, Warren Blankinship, a carpenter and congregant, to construct the building. It blends together the Greek and Gothic Revival styles well, but in a less sophisticated form than some larger churches. By World War II, the church’s membership had dwindled to only a few old Marion families and eventually closed. With the building’s future uncertain, at a time where demolition for surface parking lots was the go-to solution, Marion residents Andrew and Dorothy Patterson, purchased the building and soon after worked with local artists in town to restore the building for use as an art space. The Marion Art Center was founded in 1957, and to this day, serves as a non-profit community cultural organization dedicated to promoting the visual and performing arts.

Tamworth Congregational Church // 1851

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Congregational Church in Tamworth was organized on September 12, 1792, with its pastor sworn in at Ordination Rock. The Congregationalists used the town meetinghouse, built in 1794, for over half a century. But, following the passing of the Toleration Act of 1819 in New Hampshire, which effectively brought about the separation of church and state, the old Town House began to suffer from deferred maintenance. As the Act allowed citizens to stop supporting the established Congregational Church in all towns via taxation and instead now support the denomination of their choosing. From this, a new Congregational Church, this structure, was built in the village in 1851 and the old Town House was moved to the village and renovated to its present appearance in 1852 in the Greek Revival style. The Tamworth Congregational Church stands as a typical, yet well-preserved example of a mid-19th century religious building in New England, here largely depicting elements of the Greek Revival style with its pediment, entablature, and corner pilasters, but with Gothic Revival features of the Gothic arched louver in the belfry and finials.

First Free Will Baptist Church of Ashland // 1834 & 1872

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

A Baptist congregation was established in present-day Ashland, New Hampshire, in 1818, when it was still a part of Holderness. Within a few decades, the village grew alongside increased manufacturing to a point that by 1830, a dedicated sanctuary was needed for area Baptists. Built in 1834, the First Free Will Baptist Church stood on a rise in the center of the village. Constructed of brick and vernacular in style, the edifice oversaw the growth of the community until the 1870s when increased wealth of the congregation led to a major alteration of the building in the Italianate style we see today. The current Victorian character, including the arched stained glass windows and shingled tower are reflective of that period. The old vestry on Main Street, which dates to 1835, retains its traditional Federal style and has since been connected to the church by a wood-frame connecting addition from 1899. The buildings were listed on the NAtional Register of Historic Places in 1983.

St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, North Billerica // 1919

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Before Saint Andrew’s Parish in North Billerica, Massachusetts, was established, the industrial village was home to many Irish immigrants who arrived to the area to work at the Talbot and Faulkner mill complexes. The Irish brought with them, their culture and customs, including religious affiliation with the Catholic Church. The Irish families in North Billerica were about 5 miles from the closest Catholic church in Lowell to worship, so in 1868, a mission church was established in the village for area residents. By 1913, the parish consisted of the entire town of Billerica, had grown enough to be taken over by the Archdiocese of Boston. Soon after, a Rectory was built in the Colonial Revival style and just a few years after that, in 1919, plans were unveiled for a new Catholic church in Billerica. Plans by the firm of O’Connell & Shaw were drawn up and resulted in St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, a rare example of a Spanish/Mission Revival style church. The design is notable for its use of stucco walls, bell-shaped gabled parapet, inlaid tile panels, and squat, copper roofed belfry at the roof.

Federated Church of Martha’s Vineyard // 1828

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Built in 1828, the meetinghouse of the Federated Church of Martha’s Vineyard is the oldest church building on the island in its original location. The structure was built as the Congregational church in Edgartown, with its founding dating back to 1642 when Thomas Mayhew colonized the island. The congregation in Edgartown raised money by selling the rights to individual pews, and took 112 years to pay off the remainder of its debt. The Federal style church building was constructed by Frederick Baylies Jr., its architect and builder, who used Asher Benjamin’s design publications to bring the stately design to life. When constructed in 1828, the church fronted Main street beyond a deep common in front, which has since been infilled with houses, seemingly to help the congregation pay off its debt in the 19th century. The church became known as the Federated Church in 1925, when that year, the Edgartown Baptist Society merged with the Congregational Church, sharing this edifice for their congregations. In 1857, Frederick Douglass delivered his historic speech, ‘The Unity of Man’ to a packed audience at the Meetinghouse. Every 4th of July, a reading of Frederick Douglass’ powerful speech, “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro” is read by community leaders and members.

Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, Milford // 1870

Buildings of New England1 Comment

The grand St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Milford, Massachusetts, was built in 1870 and is tied to the period of great growth and prosperity for the community. After the Civil War, the quarrying and sale of the iconic local Milford “pink” granite boomed, and thousands of immigrants moved to the area for work, many of them Irish-born, bringing their traditions and religion. The local Catholic church was led by Father Patrick Cuddihy, who oversaw a building campaign and expansion of the church here in Milford. In the 1860s, Father Cuddihy hired architect, Patrick C. Keely to design the edifice, built of local granite quarried by many congregants. Once the foundation was laid for the church Keely was tasked to oversee the design of the new Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, so he abandoned work in Milford, leaving the remainder of the overseeing of construction to ecclesiastical architect, James Murphy, who often worked alongside Keely. Original plans for a towering belfry were uncompleted for over a decade until 1887, when work began to erect the iconic Victorian Gothic tower, it was completed by 1888. The church remains an architectural and cultural landmark in the community which offers masses in English, Spanish and Portuguese, showing the rich cultural diversity in Milford.

First Universalist Church of Milford // 1899

Buildings of New England4 Comments

In the summer of 1785, a Universalist congregation was formed in Milford, Massachusetts, making it one of the first in the United States. The Universalists here were led by some illustrious ministers including Thomas Whittemore, an energetic advocate of abolition and an ardent foe of the Fugitive Slave Law; Ebenenzer Fisher who left the Milford congregation to become the first president of what became St. Lawrence University; and Adin Ballou who, after serving the congregation for six years, established a religious commune in the Hopedale section of Milford called “The Hopedale Community” that was to become a model for similar religious organizations. The congregation grew and by the late 19th century, it was decided that a new church in Milford should be built. Local architect, Robert Allen Cook, who was then in his twenties, was hired to furnish plans for this handsome edifice, which was built of locally quarried Milford “pink” granite. Robert A. Cook was a personal favorite architect of the Draper Family of Hopedale and Milford, who likely held sway in his selection. The church was built in 1899 and remains an excellent example of Victorian Gothic architecture with large lancet window and many beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary.

Christ Church, Swansea // 1900

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Designed in the mode of a traditional English country church, the Christ Church of Swansea is among the finest Neo-Gothic Revival edifices in New England and evokes a sense of history and tradition despite only being built in 1900. The church was funded by benefactors, Frank Shaw Stevens and Elizabeth Case Stevens, who lived down the street in the town’s largest mansion. After the death of her husband Frank, Elizabeth began a large gifting campaign to the Town of Swansea, and funded the construction of the town’s library, school, and this church (they had already funded the 1891 Town Hall). For the village church, Elizabeth hired their friend, and renowned English-born architect, Henry Vaughan, who designed the building with heavy granite walls, lancet windows and a facade dominated by an entry tower with rounded corner all capped by battlements. The Christ Church of Swansea resembles an old Medieval English church but in a New England village, amazing work as always Mr. Vaughan!

First Baptist Church of Swansea // 1848

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The First Baptist Church of Swansea may look like a traditional, Greek Revival style church from the 1840s, a common form and style found in nearly every community in New England, but the church is home to the oldest Baptist congregation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is the fourth oldest in the United States! The church (and town’s name) was founded by Reverend John Myles (c. 1621–1683), a Baptist minister who immigrated to present-day Swansea from Swansea in Wales, who was a founder of the earliest recorded Baptist churches in Wales. During the King Philip’s War, Reverend Myles fled from the fighting to Boston and pastored the new First Baptist Church in Boston. The present Greek Revival structure, the fifth of the congregation, was built under the direction of the English-born Reverend J. J. Thatcher, pastor of the church from 1846 to 1854. The vernacular Greek Revival church features a pedimented facade with pilasters dividing the bays, and a square belfry.

Sears Chapel, Longwood // 1860

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Christ’s Church in Longwood, better known as Sears Chapel, is among the finest ecclesiastical buildings in Brookline and commands its site on a rise overlooking the Muddy River, now the Riverway in the Emerald Necklace park system. The area presently known as Longwood was originally marshland with a few farms until the building of the Mill Dam road out of Boston in 1821 that improved access to Brookline, which opened up its connectivity and development potential. Wealthy Boston businessman, David Sears (1787-1871) recognized this, and began buying the low-lying pasturelands in Brookline near the Boston border. By 1830, some squares were laid out and development began in the Cottage Farm and Longwood sections. He, with associates, began building country estates for friends and family to escape the crowded conditions of Boston. He is said to have named his neighborhood “Longwood”, after Napoleon’s estate on St. Helena where he spent his days in exile. An avid amateur horticulturist, Sears planted some 14,000 trees, many of them imported from Europe, in the course of developing his land. In keeping with his faith, Sears built this house of worship, Christ’s Church, which is said to have been modeled after St. Peter’s in Colchester England, likely giving Colchester Street, where Sears Chapel is located, its name. The Romanesque style church was designed by Boston architect, Arthur Gilman, who designed the building suitable for the Sears Family crypt which is underneath the structure and the burial site of many of the family. The congregation remains active to this day who maintain the significant structure and its many historic stained glass windows.

Second Unitarian Church of Brookline – Temple Sinai // 1916

Buildings of New England1 Comment

An excellent example of an early 20th century church designed in the Colonial Revival style, the former Second Unitarian Church of Brookline (now Temple Sinai), was built when much of the surrounding neighborhood was developed and as a result, is tucked away off main streets, creating a unique viewshed for passersby. Brookline’s second Unitarian Church was formed in 1896, with the congregation holding its first meetings at Sears Chapel in the Longwood neighborhood nearby. Decades later, the Second Unitarian Society was urged to find another place for its congregation as the Longwood church wanted full access of their building. The Unitarians purchased a lot of land adjacent to their Parish House in Coolidge Corner (no longer standing) and gathered funds to hire architect, Edwin J. Lewis Jr., who is said to have designed the new edifice as a contemporary take on Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. The church features a monumental portico supported by four Ionic columns, round arched windows, and a center tower that (at the time) was surmounted by a golden dome, visible for miles. Since 1944, the former church has been home to Temple Sinai, a reform synagogue that was established in 1939. The Jewish congregation here has maintained the building making slight changes to meet its needs. 

St. John’s Episcopal Church of Sharon // 1902

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The small yet architecturally significant St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sharon, Massachusetts, was built in 1902 from plans by one of the premier ecclesiastical architects of the early 20th century. Episcopalians in Sharon began demanding their own house of worship in the late 19th century, and by the turn of the century, had funding to erect their own chapel. Boston-based architect, Ralph Adams Cram, of the firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, designed the building, which fits within the scale of the residential neighborhood it is located within. St. John’s is an example of Neo-Gothic Revival architecture, a style which Cram became known for, with a fieldstone base, three feet thick, and stucco gabled facade above with tripartite windows with diamond-cut colored glass. The chapel was expanded at the rear, but maintains its rustic charm at the street.

Unitarian Church of Sharon // 1842

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Sharon, Massachusetts, is a small suburban community south of Boston that is lesser known than its neighbors, but the community has some great old buildings! The Town of Sharon was originally part of a 1637 land grant given by the Dorchester Proprietors to encourage new settlement in areas southward. In 1726, the lands of the present towns of Sharon, Canton and Stoughton, were separated from Dorchester and called the Stoughton Territory. Settlers in present-day Sharon found it difficult to attend mandated church services centered around present-day Stoughton and petitioned the General Court in 1739 to set off as a separate precinct. The request was granted and the Second Precinct was established, and incorporated as Stoughtonham in 1765, changing its name in 1783 to Sharon, named after the Sharon Plain in Palestine. In 1813, the local congregationalists split due to theological differences and formed a Unitarian church. The Congregationalists moved and built a new church and the Unitarians remained on this site, but the larger building was too large for their needs. They demolished the original building and constructed this church in 1842, which somewhat resembles the 1839 Congregational Church of Sharon a stone’s throw away. Like its neighbor, the Unitarian Church too retains an original bell cast by the The Revere Copper Company of nearby Canton.