French Congregational Church

Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

United States historic place

French Congregational Church

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| Springfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates| 42°5′58″N 72°35′16″W﻿ / ﻿42.09944°N 72.58778°W﻿ / 42.09944; -72.58778
Built| 1887; 136 years ago (1887)
Architect| Provost, Sam
Architectural style| Gothic
MPS| Downtown Springfield MRA
NRHP reference No.| 83004288 [1]
Added to NRHP| February 24, 1983

The French Congregational Church, known since 1919 as the First Spiritualist Church, is a historic High Victorian Gothic church on Union Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. The pressed brick church was built in 1887, under the sponsorship of Daniel B. Wesson, to provide a place of worship for French Huguenots employed by Smith & Wesson. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] In 2016, the building was moved to Union Street from its original site on Bliss Street, in order to make way for the MGM Springfield casino.[2]

## Description and history[edit]

The French Congregational Church is located in downtown Springfield, on the north side of Union Street between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue. It is single-story structure, built of red brick with brownstone trim. Its main facade has a three-level square tower on the right, capped by a pyramidal roof, and a single-story polygonal projection on the left, capped by a steep roof. In between these features is a large projecting gable, with a steep roof and trios of Gothic-arched windows on the ground floor and in the attic level. Entrances are located in the flanking sections, sheltered by gabled porticos.[3]

The church was built in 1887 to a design by Samuel Provost, and is a distinctive local example of the High Victorian Gothic style. Its construction was underwritten by Daniel Wesson, in support of a group of French Huguenot Protestants who worked at his firm, Smith & Wesson. With declining membership, the church was sold in 1909 and used for a time to house a variety of Congregationalist congregations. In 1911 it was acquired by the local Spiritualist congregation, who sold it in 2013.[3][4]

## See also[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Springfield, Massachusetts
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampden County, Massachusetts

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. ^ "Watch MGM Springfield move church 200 yards in 150 seconds". 20 April 2016.
3. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for French Congregational Church". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
4. ^ "About Springfield Spiritualist Church". Springfield Spiritualist Church. Retrieved 2013-12-10.

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