North Congregational Church was built in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1872-73, and was one of the early works by noted American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

. It is one of his first works in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

Building

The structure is of light sandstone and does not show the more distinctive features of later

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

works by Richardson and others. While the exterior is rectangular, the interior is cruciform with the corners filled by functional spaces i.e. the vestibule and church offices.Early church records
/ref> The church is located at 18 Salem Street, at the corner of Salem and Mattoon Streets.

History

The North Congregational Society disbanded in 1935 and the church was sold and renamed Grace Baptist Church. It was later renamed Hispanic Baptist Church. By 2016, the church was operating as IAR (Iglesia Apostolica Renovacion) Springfield, part of the

Apostolic Renewal Renovation Network Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

, a network of 27 churches in 6 countries. The church is a bilingual

Apostolic Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

congregation with Hispanic, African-American and Anglo-Saxon members. It has a regular attendance of 500 people. In 2019, the church was put up for sale and there is no congregation using it.

References

External links

Photograph of North Congregational Church
{{commonscat, North Congregational Church (Springfield, Massachusetts) Henry Hobson Richardson church buildings Churches in Springfield, Massachusetts Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Massachusetts Romanesque Revival church buildings in Massachusetts