The Second Church in Newton,

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 ...

, is located at 60 Highland Street in West Newton, a village of

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

. This church is rooted in the

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

denomination, welcomes all visitors, and does not require uniformity of belief. Its present church building, a Gothic Victorian structure designed by architects

Allen & Collens Allen & Collens was an architectural partnership between Francis Richmond Allen and Charles Collens that was active from 1904 to 1931. ''See also:'' Allen had previously worked in the Boston-based partnerships Allen & Kenway (1878–91) and ...

and completed in 1916, was listed in 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 ...

(as "Second Church of Newton") in 1990.

Description and history

The current building is the third home for this congregation. West Parish of Newton was organized in 1764 and formally recognized in 1778. At that time it was Newton's second parish. As the congregation grew, a meeting house was built on Washington Street in 1848, when the first structure was adapted for use as town hall as part of the town government's move to West Newton. By the start of the 20th century, the congregation was outgrowing its Washington Street home. Planning to build a new structure began in 1908. The land was purchased in 1913 and the cornerstone laid in 1914, the 150th anniversary of the congregation. The building was designed by the noted ecclesiastical architects

, a leading firm with offices in Boston and New York, with Charles Collens having the principal role for the design. The firm was noted for its

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

design work including the Cloisters Museum in New York. The location of the Second Church in Newton is on the east side of Highland Street, just south of the

Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state li ...

and the West Newton Village Center Historic District at the rise of West Newton Hill, making the spire visible from all directions. The parcel it occupies is bounded on the north by the highway and on the east by Chestnut Street; both Chestnut and Highland are collector roads leading through the residential area of West Newton Hill. The church sanctuary is an elaborate example of Gothic Revival architecture executed in stone. The adjoining Parish House, begun in 1915 and extended and completed in 1938, has stucco walls and Tudor Revival features. All parts of the building are remarkably intact with minimal alterations. The main façade, facing west toward Highland Street, is narrow, with a buttressed projecting section housing the main entrance in a recessed arch, with a large stained-glass window above. The side walls are also buttressed, with pointed-arch windows in each of four bays. The prominent spire at the north east corner reaches to 196 feet with decorative finials in limestone. It is topped by two figures, a young man facing east toward the sunrise and an old man facing west towards the sunset. The spire is an immediately recognizable landmark for West Newton, visible to travelers on the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Commuter Rail. The bell in the tower, which dates from 1828, was brought from the previous building and still operates. There are gargoyles on either side of the front entrance. A square tower rises at the eastern end of the north elevation. To the north of the main building, the Parish House, an education wing with Tudor styling and leaded casement windows, was added in 1938. The architectural firm Allen, Collins and Willis was responsible for the design. Second Church in Newton UCC

The interior of the sanctuary was inspired by European

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

elements from the 12th to 16th centuries. The ceiling, which is supported by stone pillars recalling the trunks of trees, is the shape of an inverted boat, referencing

Noah's ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...

and the sanctuary it provided. The

stained glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

include both a number of original panels and others added in the years between WWI and the 1960s, through gifts and sponsorship of parishioners. The oldest windows contain glass imported from Europe and were designed by Henry Wynd Young and

Charles Jay Connick Charles Jay Connick (1875–1945) was a prominent American painter, muralist, and designer best known for his work in stained glass in the Gothic Revival style. Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania, Connick eventually settled in the Boston area where ...

. In the Fuller Chapel in the north transept are found the two windows designed by Henry Wynd Young, considered to be an unusually gifted artisan at the time.The windows at the rear of the nave, designed by nationally renowned artist and Newtonville resident

, are also original to the building and have distinctive crosses at the top of each panel. In the post-WWII period, three other windows designed by Connick Associates were added, with themes of world peace, pastoral care, and prayer and communion. In a more modern design in deep blues from the glass studio of

William Willet William Willet (November 1, 1869 – March 29, 1921) was an American portrait painter, muralist, stained glass designer, studio owner and writer. An early proponent of the Gothic Revival and active in the "Early School" of American stained ...

, a window in the south transept recognizes the role of health care professionals. The distinctive and elaborate original wood carvings crafted in red oak at the altar, choir stalls, pulpit and lectern were created by

Johannes Kirchmayer Johannes Kirchmayer also known as John Kirchmayer (March 31, 1860 – November 29, 1930) was one of the leading woodcarvers in the United States, active primarily in the Boston area. Kirchmayer was born in Oberammergau, Bavaria. After learn ...

. The natural elements included, such as branches, birds and small animals, are reflective of the

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

design style. Second Church in Newton UCC North Elevation

Second Church in Newton North Side Parish House

References

External links

The Second Church in Newton UCC website
*The United Church of Christ http://www.ucc.org/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Second Church In Newton National Register of Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts United Church of Christ churches in Massachusetts Churches in Newton, Massachusetts Stone churches in Massachusetts