Grace Church is an historic Episcopal church at 300 Westminster Street at Mathewson Street in downtown

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. It was built in 1845-46 and was designed by

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-born American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to su ...

in the Gothic Revival style. The church was added to 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 ...

in 1972, and is part of the Downtown Providence Historic District.

Description

Church

The church building was designed by architect

and built in 1845–46, when the area had a much more residential character. It is a relatively simple expression of

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th cent ...

, and is notable as the first building in which Upjohn used asymmetry in a church's massing. In 1912,

Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partne ...

added a parish house which connects with the church through several narrow, twisting stairwells and passages. The parish house was remodeled and enlarged in 1950 by Harkness & Geddes.

Cemetery

The Grace Church cemetery is a triangular parcel of land located about a mile southwest of the church in the Trinity Square Historic District. The church purchased four acres here in 1834, and doubled its size in 1843. A caretaker's cottage was built 1859-1860 in the Gothic Revival style. The cottage, part of the Providence Landmark District, was restored several times: in 1982, 2008, and again in 2010. The cemetery is a frequent target of vandalism, with many toppled and broken gravestones.

History

By 1829, the population of Providence was spreading from the east side of the

Providence River The Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles (13 km). There are no dams along the river's length, although the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is located south of downtown to protect t ...

to the west. 25 parishioners of the St. John's Episcopal Church on Providence's East Side built a small church on the site of the old Providence Theater on the west side. By 1835 the congregation grew to 260, and by 1844, the building was becoming too small and unsafe. Richard Upjohn, the foremost architect of his time, was hired to design a new building on the same site. The new (current) building was completed in 1846. Grace Church was listed on the

in 1972. By the early 21st Century, the church was badly in need of repair, suffering from crumbling stonework and leaky stained glass windows. The closing of the Cathedral of St. John in 2012 put added pressure on Grace Church. In 2015, a multimillion-dollar restoration project was undertaken to expand and preserve Grace Church. In addition to repairs, the old parish hall will be extended with an accessible glass-enclosed single-story structure, which will allow the church to host suppers and events.

Parishioners

When Grace Church was established, the neighborhood around Westminster Street was more residential and the church was associated with Providence's Protestant elite. * Rhode Island Governor

Elisha Dyer Elisha Dyer (July 20, 1811 – May 17, 1890) was an American politician and the 25th Governor of Rhode Island. Early life Dyer was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 20, 1811 to an old New England family which traced its Dyer ancestry ba ...

and his family were members of Grace Church. *The First Episcopal Bishop of Rhode Island and Rector of Grace Church, John Prentiss Kewley Henshaw is buried in Grace Church cemetery. He is credited with managing the completion of the existing building on Mathewson Street. *Russell Warren, architect, member of the church, and designer of the pre-Upjohn church is buried in Grace Church cemetery in a lot next to the bishops. * Rhode Island Governor

Nehemiah R. Knight Nehemiah Rice Knight (December 31, 1780April 18, 1854) was Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator from Rhode Island. Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Cranston, he attended the common schools. In 1802 he was a member of the Rhode Isla ...

and Senator Albert C. Greene are buried in the church cemetery. * Soprano Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones is buried in the church cemetery. After a long period of declining residential character, the Providence downtown is once again growing in population. The Grace Church congregation is drawing a more diverse congregation, including many from the city's growing Liberian community.

References

External links

Grace Church, Providence website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island, state=collapsed Episcopal churches in Rhode Island Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Richard Upjohn church buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in Rhode Island Churches in Providence, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island Historic district contributing properties in Rhode Island Churches completed in 1845