North Congregational Church, Springfield (1873)
In 1868, H.H. Richardson won a commission to design the North Congregational Church in Springfield. Originally intended to be built where the congregation’s preceding church building was located, the plans for construction did not go through until a new site had been purchased, on the corner of Salem and Mattoon Streets in 1871, and the initial plan had been revised. Built in 1872 to 1873, the church was constructed of red Longmeadow sandstone and was one of Richardson‘s first works in the Romanesque style. The North Congregational Society disbanded in 1935 and the church was sold and renamed Grace Baptist Church. It is now called the Hispanic Baptist Church. UPDATE: The church was later called the Cristian Biblical Church and then Iglesia Apostolica Renovacion. The building was for sale in 2019.
Nicely done post! An early pastor of North Congregational Church was Rev. Washington Gladden. His office was at the top of a spiral staircase that leads up through the tower. It was there that he wrote an old favorite hymn, “Master Let Me Walk With Thee.” Many years later, the pidgeons took over the tower room and caused the church trustees many trials.
To add onto the previous note. Grace Baptist church underwent 2 fires, one of which destroyed some of the stained glass on the north wall (visible from the parking lot off Mattoon St) in which the glass was replaced in the ’70s.
The church also has a wooden addition which is connected by a small enclosed ramp from the brownstone building to the wooden building. Grace Baptist Church had also acquired the home next door (22 Salem street) to be used as a parsonage.
In 1996 Grace Baptist Church sold the building to Hispanic Baptist Church and built a new building in Agawam. Since then they sold the building in Agawam in 2002 and are now at 62 Bowles Pk. Also, in 1998 the church sold the parsonage to Hispanic Baptist Church which currently uses it for offices.
The last pastor of Grace Baptist Church while residing on Salem Street was Todd Kilburn. The current Pastor of Grace Baptist Church is Carmen Rizzo.
I attended Grace Baptist Church from early childhood until I left springfield at nineteen. My first pastor there was Mr. Muck. After he retired, it was David Nettleton.