Church in Rhode Island, United States
First Unitarian Church of Providence
is an American
Unitarian Universalist
congregation located at the corner of Benefit and Benevolent Streets in
Providence, Rhode Island
. The congregation was founded in 1723, and the current church building was dedicated in 1816.
[2]
For many years it was known as the First Congregational Church of Providence.
History
[
edit
]
The first churches in
Providence
were Baptist.
[2]
It wasn't until 1721 that the First
Congregational Society
was formed, and it erected its first house of worship in 1723.
[1]
This building was known as the "Old Town House", and stood where the Providence County Courthouse now stands.
[1]
By 1728, there were nine members of the congregation, led by
Josiah Cotton
as pastor.
[1]
A new, larger building was constructed on the corner of Benefit and Benevolent Streets, where the current church now stands. This building was destroyed by fire on June 14, 1814.
[1]
Current building
[
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]
The current building was designed by local architect
John Holden Greene
, who designed many buildings in Providence. The design scheme of a pedimented portico in front of a tower and tall spire was similar to
Charles Bulfinch
's design for
Boston
's
New South Church
.
[2]
The building was dedicated October 13, 1816.
[1]
It was built with white stone quarried in
Johnston, Rhode Island
.
[2]
The original floor plan was 77 x 80 feet. The spire is 189 feet, 11 inches tall. The original cost was over $50,000.
[1]
The
bell in the church's bell tower
is the largest cast by the
Paul Revere
foundry in
Canton, Massachusetts
.
[2]
Renovations were made to the building in 1868 and 1916.
[2]
In 1966, a bolt of lightning started a fire, which burned for four hours. Plaster detailing was destroyed along with the church's organ, but both were meticulously restored.
[2]
The architect for the restoration was
Irving B. Haynes
, of
Johnson & Haynes
.
[3]
-
Church building erected in 1795 and destroyed by fire in 1814
-
1886 engraving of the current church building
-
Photograph published in 1891 of the current building
Theology
[
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]
Although founded as a congregationalist church, the church later became explicitly Unitarian in theology under the leadership of Rev. Henry Edes (1803-1832).
[2]
For many years it was known as The First Congregational Church (Unitarian).
[2]
In April 1953 the congregation voted to change the name to The First Unitarian Church of Providence.
[2]
On March 26, 2017, the church voted to become a
Sanctuary Church
, a policy which would allow non-citizens to stay in the church and claim protection against deportation.
[4]
Notable services and members
[
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]
- Funeral services for General, Governor, and Senator
Ambrose Burnside
were held here on September 16, 1881.
[5]
- Funeral services for Providence Mayor
Thomas A. Doyle
were held on June 14, 1886.
[6]
- Funeral services for
Sarah Elizabeth Doyle
, suffragist, educator and sister of Mayor Thomas Doyle, were held in December 1922.
[7]
- Frank F. Olney
(1851?1903), 18th mayor of Providence, was a member of the church.
[8]
- Journalist
Ben Bagdikian
(1920?2016) was a member of the church.
[9]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Greene, Welcome Arnold (1886).
The Providence plantations for two hundred and fifty years
. Providence, Rhode Island: J.A. & R.A. Reid. p.
148
.
providence 250 years.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
"About Us: Church History"
. Archived from
the original
on 2013-01-25
. Retrieved
2014-05-10
.
- ^
Woodward, William McKenzie.
Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources
. 1986.
- ^
Andrade, Kevin (7 June 2018).
"Providence church joins national sanctuary movement"
. The Providence Journal
. Retrieved
8 June
2018
.
- ^
"The Lamented Burnside"
. Fall River, Massachusetts: Fall River Daily Herald. 17 September 1881
. Retrieved
12 August
2022
.
- ^
Memorial of Thomas Arthur Doyle, Mayor of the City of Providence
. Providence, Rhode Island: Providence City Council. 1887. pp. 5?13
. Retrieved
3 June
2015
.
- ^
"Sarah E. Doyle, Suffrage Worker and Teacher, Dead". The Providence Journal. 22 December 1922. p. 1.
- ^
Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island
. J.H. Beers & Company. 1908. pp. 58?62
. Retrieved
17 May
2015
.
- ^
Vetter, Herbert F., ed. (2007).
Notable American Unitarians 1936-1961
. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Square Library. pp.
12?13
.
ISBN
978-0-6151-4784-0
.
archived text
External links
[
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]
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Australia
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Canada
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Ireland
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Romania
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United Kingdom
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United States
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- Massachusetts
- All Souls Church
- Arlington Street Church
- Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church
- Brattle Street Church
- First Parish in Cambridge
- First Church in Boston
- First Church in Roxbury
- First Church in Salem
- First Church of Christ, Unitarian
- First Parish Church (Duxbury, Massachusetts)
- First Parish Church (Taunton, Massachusetts)
- First Parish Church (Waltham, Massachusetts)
- First Parish Church in Plymouth
- First Parish Church of Dorchester
- First Parish Church, Arlington Massachusetts
- First Parish in Malden
- First Parish of Sudbury
- First Parish Unitarian Church
- First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate
- First Religious Society Church and Parish Hall
- First Unitarian Church (Peabody, Massachusetts)
- First Unitarian Church (Somerville, Massachusetts)
- First Unitarian Church (Stoneham, Massachusetts)
- First Unitarian Society in Newton
- First Universalist Church (Provincetown, Massachusetts)
- First Universalist Church (Salem, Massachusetts)
- First Universalist Church (Somerville, Massachusetts)
- Follen Church Society-Unitarian Universalist
- Housatonic Congregational Church
- King's Chapel
- North Parish Church
- Old Ship Church
- Second Unitarian Church
- Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church
- Unitarian Church of Barnstable
- Unitarian Memorial Church
- Unitarian Society
- Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford and the Osgood House
- United First Parish Church
- Universalist Society Meetinghouse
- Wollaston Unitarian Church
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