Category: Churches

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (1905)

by Dan//Churches, Commercial, Vernacular, West Springfield

The building at 23 Southworth Street in West Springfield was built in 1905 in a newly developing residential area subdivided into lots from the Southworth family’s farm. The building itself was never a residence, but has been a bakery, home to the Puritan Home Made Candy Company, and a store. Since 1960 it has been St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. There are plans to replace the small building in the future with a somewhat larger one having a full basement.

Trinity Church, Waltham (1870)

by Dan//Churches, Italianate, Waltham

In the early nineteenth century, the First Parish Church in Waltham became a Unitarian church. The Second Religious Society of Waltham was established in 1820. Its meeting house was called the “Factory Church” because its membership was primarily made up of people connected with the Boston Manufacturing Company, which provided the funds for the building. This Society also leaned towards Unitarian views (it later united with the First Parish in 1839) and those with Trinitarian beliefs left to form the Trinitarian Congregational Church. The congregation erected a church building on the corner of Main and Heard Streets in 1826. The current church building, at 726 Main Street, was built in 1870. The organization of the church was changed in 1906, when it incorporated itself as the First Congregational Church of Waltham. It became a member of the United Church of Christ in 1957, but withdrew in 2006 to become an independent, trans-denominational congregation called Trinity Church.

Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst (1894)

by Dan//Amherst, Churches, Craftsman, Shingle Style

The Unitarian Universalist Church at 121 North Pleasant Street in Amherst was built in 1894. As related in Hitchcock’s Handbook of Amherst (1894), “The Universalist Society, organized November, 1887, has erected a new church building here. The services were held in Masonic Hall pending the erection of the church, and the Rev. J. H. Holden is pastor.” The Arts and Crafts style building contains stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany and John LaFarge.

Johnson Chapel, Amherst College (1827)

by Dan//Amherst, Churches, Collegiate, Greek Revival

Johnson Chapel was the fourth building to be constructed on the campus of Amherst College, following South College, North College and the first President’s House. Work on Johnson Chapel, which was constructed by builder Hiram Johnson, began in 1826 and the building was dedicated on February 28, 1827. It was named Johnson Chapel in honor of Adam Johnson of Pelham, whose bequest funded its construction. In addition to the chapel, the building originally contained a museum, library, laboratory and recitation rooms. Johnson Chapel was renovated in 1863 (at a cost equal to that of its original construction) and again in the 1920s. The Chapel, whose front had been on the west side, was extended forty feet to the east in 1933, with a new main facade now facing the Freshman Quad. When Johnson Chapel was first built, there was a legal dispute over Adam Johnson’s will. Continue reading “Johnson Chapel, Amherst College (1827)”

Bolton Friends Meetinghouse (1796)

by Dan//Churches, Sturbridge, Vernacular

Quakers in Bolton formed the Friends Meeting in 1779 and constructed the Bolton Friends Meetinghouse in 1795. By 1930, membership had dwindled and the Friends joined the Unitarians and Baptists and formed the Bolton Federated Church, known as the First Parish of Bolton. In 1952, the Friends deeded their former meetinghouse to Old Sturbridge Village. It was moved to Sturbridge in 1953 and restored to its original 1796 appearance, necessitating the removal of an 1818 addition.

Old First Baptist Church, Amherst (1835)

by Dan//Amherst, Churches, Greek Revival

The building at 79 South Pleasant Street in Amherst was built in 1834-1835 as the First Baptist Church. The Baptist Society in Amherst began in 1827 as a branch of the New Salem Baptist Church, becoming a branch of the Northampton Baptist Church in 1830. It became an independent organization in 1832. The South Pleasant Street church, designed by Warren S. Howland, was used by the First Baptist Church until 1957, when it moved to a new location at 434 North Pleasant Street. The former church was then used as offices and retail space and was acquired by Amherst College in 2009.

Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College (1897)

by Dan//Churches, Collegiate, Gothic, South Hadley

The Seminary Building at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley was destroyed by fire in 1896. The following year, a chapel was built on the site, called Mary Lyon Chapel and connected to Mary Lyon Hall. The Chapel was renovated and much enlarged in 1938 with a donation from Emily Abbey Gill and was renamed Abbey Memorial Chapel. It was converted in 1999 into the Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary. Since 2009, the Chapel has been open to the public for weddings.