First Church of Christ, Unitarian
| First Church of Christ, Unitarian | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| National Register of Historic Places | |||
| National Historic Landmark | |||
| Historic District Contributing Property | |||
 The church building in 2005 |
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| location | Lancaster , Massachusetts , United States | ||
| Coordinates | 42 ° 27 '20.2 " N , 71 ° 40' 30.9" W | ||
| surface | 2 Acres (0.8 ha ) | ||
| Built | 1816 | ||
| architect | Charles Bulfinch | ||
| Architectural style | Federal style | ||
| NRHP number | 70000897 | ||
| Data | |||
| The NRHP added | December 30, 1970 | ||
| Declared as an NHL | December 30, 1970 | ||
| Declared as CP | 15th September 1977 | ||
The First Church of Christ, Unitarian (including First Church of Christ, Lancaster ) is a historical, existing since the 17th century church in Lancaster in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . The church building of the same name (also known as Bulfinch Church ) was designed by Charles Bulfinch at the beginning of the 19th century and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1970 . Since 1977 it has also been a contributing property to the Center Village District .
The building is the most significant of the Bulfinch New England churches still in existence . Particularly noteworthy is the facade with its two-tier brick tower and a wooden dome, supported by Roman columns and bordered by a large portico . To this day there is neither artificial lighting nor modern heating, so that the church - apart from minor changes in the interior - has remained essentially unchanged.
Architecture and history
The two-storey building made of bricks in the Flemish Association has a rectangular floor plan of 22.5 mx 20.1 m. The portico has a footprint of 14.6 mx 5.2 m and is supported by square columns with pilasters of a Doric order on the front . The second floor of the 37 m high tower is square and forms the basis for 12 fluted columns of Ionic order , which support the wooden dome. The church bell weighs over half a ton.
The pews in the interior are made of pine wood . The white pulpit in the middle of the northern wall rises over 3 m and rests on columns of Ionic order. In 1881 two new doors were integrated into the north wall to connect the interior with the attached Thayer Memorial Chapel . In 1900, ceiling decorations were added. Except for these minor changes, the church building has been preserved in its original state to this day. It is used for religious purposes to this day.
The city of Lancaster set up a three-person committee to build a new church at the request of the residents. Charles Bulfinch was hired as the architect and Thomas Hearsey from Boston as the builder. The construction costs totaling 19,088.66 US dollars (around 357,700 dollars or 299,600 euros today) were borne entirely by the community members. After 151 working days, the building was handed over to its intended use on January 1, 1817. In 1867 a church organ was installed , and in 1881 the Thayer Memorial Chapel, the only extension, followed. Assuming that Bulfinch would have decorated the interiors more richly if he had more money to spend, this was made up for in 1900. Walls and ceilings were decorated with a style inspired by Bulfinch's work at the Massachusetts State House .
See also
- List of entries on the National Register of Historic Places in northern Worcester County
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
literature
- Harold Kirker: Architecture of Charles Bulfinch . Harvard University Press, p. l. 2014, ISBN 978-0-674-18221-9 (English).
- Charles W. Snell: First Church of Christ, Unitarian. (PDF) United States Department of the Interior , National Park Service , June 5, 1970, accessed November 25, 2018 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Massachusetts. National Park Service , accessed August 10, 2019.
- ↑ cf. Snell, p. 2.
- ↑ cf. Snell, p. 5.
- ↑ cf. Snell, p. 3.
- ↑ cf. Snell, p. 6.