The Church on the Hill is a historic church building at 169 Main Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. Built in 1805, it is one of a small number of surviving Federal period churches in the region. Its congregation, gathered in 1769, belongs to the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

, and its offices are located at 55 Main Street. The church building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.

Architecture and building history

The church is located on a rise at the northern end of Lenox village, on the west side of Main Street. It stands on a parcel in size that includes the town's first cemetery. It is a two-story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. A gabled entry vestibule projects from the center of the main (south-facing) facade, with the entrance at its center, flanked by pilasters and topped by a gabled pediment. Above the entrance are a

Palladian window Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

and a dentillated gable. The building corners have fluted pilasters. A tower rises astride the main block and the vestibule projections, with a square clock-faced stage topped by an open octagonal belfry with paneled pilastered supports. Above the belfry is an octagonal paneled stage which is crowned by a cupola, finial, and cross. The meetinghouse was built in 1805 by architect and builder Benjamin D. Goodrich of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, based on designs by

Asher Benjamin Asher Benjamin (June 15, 1773July 26, 1845) was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal architecture and the later Greek Revival architecture. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities an ...

and

Charles Bulfinch Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...

. It was dedicated on January 1, 1806. Its total cost was $6,619.00 including furnishings. The building was erected on land near the town's first meetinghouse (built 1770), which it replaced. The current pastor is the Rev. Elizabeth (Liz) R. Goodman.
painting
of the church, by American Impressionist Clark G Voorhees, is in the collection of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

Ministers

* 1770-1793 Rev. Samuel Munson * 1795-1846 Rev. Samuel Shepard, D.D. * 1846-1854 Rev. Henry Neill * 1854-1859 Rev. Edmund K. Alden * 1860-1865 Rev. Reuben S. Kendall * 1872-1873 Rev. Samuel H. Tolman * 1874-1880 Rev. Charles H. Parkhurst * 1880-1889 Rev. R. DeWitt Mallary * 1890-1898 Rev. Edward Day * 1899-1904 Rev. Frederick Lynch * 1904-1907 Rev. Clayton J. Potter

References

Centennial Anniversary of the Dedication of the Old Church on the Hill, Lenox, Massachusetts, June 12, 1906

External links

Church on the Hill, Lenox
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church On The Hill (Lenox, Massachusetts) United Church of Christ churches in Massachusetts Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Churches in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Lenox, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts

Architecture and building history

Ministers

See also

References

External links