Central Congregational Church (Providence, Rhode Island)
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Central Congregational Church is a
United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...
congregation established in 1852 in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. The current church building at 296 Angell Street was built in 1893, designed by
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
architectural firm
Carrère and Hastings Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was an American list of architecture firms, architecture firm ...
. It is part of the Stimson Avenue Historic District. The church has a long tradition of social and community work in the Providence area, the United States and around the world.John S. Chaney
"A Brief History of Central Church"
Retrieved on 25 October 2013.


History

The church’s history traces back to the 1830s, when
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
Congregationalists Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
sought a new place of worship on the east side of the river. They received a charter for the Benefit Street Congregational Society in 1836 but faced difficulties obtaining land. The organization received a new charter in 1850, and changed its name to the Central Congregational Society in 1851. Among the early leaders in the church were John Kingsbury, William J. King, George L. Claflin, William J. Cross, and Nancy Marsh. The church called the Rev. Leonard Swain from
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
to be its minister in 1852. Rev. Swain insisted that the church pay off all its debts before he accepted his call. Rev. Swain was "a man of rare intellectual power and attainment, commanding a sustained hearing among men of prominence in the city, men who disagreed with him radically as to his strictness and to his views of life and conduct, yet who came to hear the greatest preacher in Providence." Leonard Swain died at age 48 in 1869, while serving as minister. For the church’s 50th anniversary in 1902, longtime deacon Moses E. Torrey wrote of the founding of the church and the pastorate of Leonard Swain. After Torrey’s address, the Rev. George Harris, the Rev. Charles W. Huntington, and the Rev. Edward C. Moore each wrote of their successive pastorates. During Moore's tenure, the church made the transition from its original Benefit Street building to a new edifice on Angell Street and Diman Place. Rev. Moore resigned to become Parkman Professor of Theology at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1902, the year of the church’s 50th anniversary. At this time, Gregory D. Walcott was the Assistant Minister, and the diaconate consisted of Moses E. Torrey, Edwin Barrows, Thomas B. Stockwell, John W. Danielson, Frederic H. Fuller, Arthur W. Fairchild, Frederick H. Jackson, and James C. Kimball. The church supported the founding of the first Cape Verdean Protestant church in America, now called Sheldon Street Church. The church published a paper for its 75th anniversary in 1927. The paper notes early members John Kingsbury, William J. King, William J. Cross, William Viall, Abner Gay, Shubael Hutchins, and Frederick Fuller. It also mentions Amos D. Smith, James Y. Smith, William Foster, Samuel Foster, Robert H. Ives, and Alexander Duncan who were not members, but were actively involved in the church.


Architecture


Original Building

The original building of Central Congregational Church is a brownstone Romanesque structure at 226 Benefit Street, designed by Thomas Tefft and built from 1853-1856. The site was determined by a building committee of James Y. Smith, John Kingsbury, and William Foster, with a groundbreaking in 1851. The Congregation outgrew this building in the College Hill Historic District, and moved to its current location in the 1890s. The old building is now part of the
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...
, and is known as Memorial Hall.


Current Building

A committee of Francis W. Carpenter, John W. Danielson, Frederic Fuller, Frederick C. Sayles, and Frederic Talbot recommended the move to the corner of Angell Street and Diman Place. For the new building, architect Thomas Hastings and minister Edward C. Moore wanted to use the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
style for its historical associations. The cornerstone was laid in July 1891, and the building was dedicated in November 1893. Franklin J. Sawtelle served as supervising and constructing architect. The dome and vaulting of the current structure is of
tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...
by
Rafael Guastavino Rafael Guastavino Moreno (; March 1, 1842 February 1, 1908) was a Spanish building engineer and builder who immigrated to the United States in 1881; his career for the next three decades was based in New York City. Based on the Catalan vault, h ...
, it is the first dome that he constructed in the U.S. The dome and vaulting originally featured exposed red Guastavino tile on its exterior, but this was later covered with copper. The original towers were damaged in storms, and were replaced in 1958. The interior features oak woodwork. Some work was completed by Pottier & Stymus. The primary interior decoration is focused on the pulpit and the chancel.


Chancel

Francis W. Carpenter funded the chancel apse decoration, which was executed by Herman T. Schladermundt of New York. ''The First Century of Central Congregational Church'' (1952) describes the painted scenes: The
communion table Communion table and Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the ...
was "purchased from the legacy of Miss Nancy Marsh." The Gorham bronze lectern was a gift of the Young People's Societies.


Stained Glass

The round stained-glass windows under the dome were the work of the Decorative Stained Glass Company, and were installed when the church was built. The larger stained-glass windows were designed by Jacob Holzer with work by the Duffner and Kimberly Company, and were installed over several years in the early 20th century. They depict the creation of the earth in the east and the heavenly city in the west, and are described as 'unsurpassed in the state.' ''The First Century of Central Congregational Church'' (1952) provides a description of the window plan: An additional backlit stained-glass pendant was added at the corner of the side aisle and the East Transept in 1950. It was given by former organist, Helen Hogan Coome, who with church support, ministered to Londoners suffering after
The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...
. The pendant is a depiction of Central Church, designed by English stained-glass artist,
Leonard Walker Leonard Walker (10 March 1877 – 13 June 1964) was a British painter and stained glass designer. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Biography Walker was a student at St John's Wood ...
. Coome commissioned the work after seeing a similar pendant by Walker, depicting
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
, in
Stanley Marchant Sir Stanley Robert Marchant (15 May 1883 – 28 February 1949) was an English church musician, teacher and composer. After more than 30 years as a church and cathedral organist he was appointed principal of the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), ...
's office at the
Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
. Walker worked on the pendant during the war when many artists were out of work and churches were being destroyed by the bombing. It is described in the 1952 Anniversary Calendar:


Organ

The current
Aeolian-Skinner Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts was an American builder of a large number of pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner (1866–1 ...
organ was installed in 1965 and dedicated to the Reverend Arthur Howe Bradford. It replaced an organ built by
Austin Organs Austin Organs, Inc., is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States. The first instruments were built in 1893 with the Austin Patent ...
in 1917, which replaced a
Farrand & Votey Organ Company Farrand may refer to: * William R. Farrand (1853–1930), American manufacturer of pianos and organs * Livingston Farrand (1867–1939), American physician and anthropologist * Royal T. Farrand (1867–1927), American football player and medical ...
instrument. The installation included a new organ screen and the extension of the choir loft. It contains four divisions, 58 ranks and a total of 3,456 pipes, and was restored in 2009.


Chapel Hall

Before the construction of the present sanctuary, the church built Memorial Chapel, now known as Chapel Hall. The Chapel was given to the church by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Danielson and Miss Amelia Lockwood, in memory of Amos DeForest Lockwood and Amelia Fuller Lockwood. It was first used on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1892.


Education Wing

Between 1928 and 1932, the church added a large Church School building, and renovated and expanded other facilities, including the Memorial Chapel. The architects for these additions were Jackson, Robertson & Adams. The Education Wing contains a large basement recreation room, known as the Makepeace Room.


Wilson Chapel

In 1964, the side-facing pews in the West Transept were re-arranged to face forward, creating the Wilson Chapel. It is named in honor of the Rev. William Croft Wilson, a young associate minister of the church who died very suddenly.


Senior Ministers

To date, there have been ten Senior Ministers of Central Congregational Church: * Leonard Swain, D.D. 1852-1869 * George Harris Jr., D.D. 1872-1883 * Charles W. Huntington, D.D. 1884-1888 * Edward C. Moore, D.D. 1889-1902 * Edward F. Sanderson, B.D. 1903-1908 * Gaius Glenn Atkins, D.D. 1910-1917 * Arthur H. Bradford, D.D. 1918-1952 * Lawrence L. Durgin, D.D. 1952-1961 *Raymond E. Gibson, Ph.D. 1961-1988 *Rebecca L. Spencer, M.Div. 1988-2023 *Patrick Faulhaber, M.Div. 2024-


Gallery

File:Jacob Holzer Stained-Glass, Window of Light, Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI.png, Window of Light File:Jacob Holzer Stained-Glass, Window of Labor, Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI.png, Window of Labor File:Jacob Holzer Stained-Glass, Window of Prophesy, Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI.png, Window of Prophesy File:Jacob Holzer Stained-Glass, Window of Sacrifice and Loyalty, Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI.png, Window of Sacrifice File:Jacob Holzer Stained-Glass, Window of Prayer, Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI.png, Window of Prayer File:Jacob Holzer Stained-Glass, Window of Faith, Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI.png, Window of Fiath File:Central Congregational Church, Providence, RI, Chancel Mural.png, Chancel Mural File:Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I (NYPL b12647398-68856).tiff, Postcard ca. 1900 File:Central Congregational Church, Angell St. 1906.tiff File:RISD Memorial Hall.jpg, Original church building on Benefit St., now RISD Memorial Hall


See also

* Hamilton House, a non-profit next door at 276 Angell Street, also designed by Carrere and Hastings


References


External links


Central Congregational Church
official website
Finery on Easter, when and where?David Brussat: The rise and fall of the Guastavino tileSAH Archipedia: Central Congregational Church The Central Congregational Church, Providence
{{Authority control Churches in Providence, Rhode Island United Church of Christ churches in Rhode Island Carrère and Hastings buildings Churches completed in 1893 Church buildings with domes