Christ Episcopal Church, also known as Christ Church on Capitol Square, is an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

church at 120 East Edenton Street in

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Built in 1848–53 to a design by

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

, it is one of the first

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

churches in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

. The church was built for a parish established in 1821; its minister is the Rev. James P. Adams. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1987. and

Description and history

Christ Episcopal Church is located within Raleigh's

Capitol Area Historic District The Capitol Area Historic District is a national historic district located at Raleigh, North Carolina. The district encompasses 25 contributing buildings and was developed after 1792. The district includes notable examples of Classical Revival ...

, just east of the

North Carolina State Capitol The North Carolina State Capitol is the former seat of the legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina which housed all of the state's government until 1888. The Supreme Court and State Library moved into a separate building in 1888, and th ...

at the southeast corner of East Edenton and South Wilmington Streets. It is a generally cruciform structure, built predominantly out of rough-cut stone that is varied in color, with dressed stone at the corners and openings. It has a red tile roof that is topped by cruciform finials at the gable ends. The walls are buttressed at the corners, and separating the bays on the long axis. A covered arcade extends north from the west end of the church, joining it to an otherwise-freestanding tower. The tower has three stages, with buttressed corners, and a lancet-louvered belfry in the upper level. It is crowned by a spire and a distinctive bronze

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

. The Christ Church parish was organized in 1821, and its first church was a wood-frame structure built in 1829. The present church was designed by

in 1846, and was consecrated in 1854. At the suggestion of the church's Bishop Levi Silliman Ives, Upjohn based his design on St. Mary's in

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

, which he had recently completed. The church's parish house with chapel, added in 1913–1914, was designed by Upjohn's grandson

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

. The

Ravenscroft School Ravenscroft School is a coed independent private school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school enrolls students between Pre-Kindergarten and 12th grade, and serves 1,254 students. The school has three divisions: Lower School, Middl ...

, a private K–12 school in Raleigh, was started by members of the church and named after the Episcopal Bishop of the area at that time,

John Stark Ravenscroft John Stark Ravenscroft (May 17, 1772 – March 5, 1830) was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and helped organize the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee. Early life Ravenscroft was born in 1772 on his family plantation near ...

, who was also the rector of the church. Olivia Raney served as organist until her death in 1896.

Notable people

*Author

Armistead Maupin Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1944) is an American writer notable for '' Tales of the City'', a series of novels set in San Francisco. Early life Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., to Diana Jane (Barton) and Armistead Jones Maup ...

attended the church with his family as a child. *Anti-suffragist Mary Hilliard Hinton attended this church. *NC First Lady

Fanny Yarborough Bickett Fanny Neal Yarborough Bickett (October 11, 1870 – July 3, 1941) was an American social worker, public official, lawyer, and lobbyist. She served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1917 to 1921, as the wife of Governor Thomas W. Bickett, a ...

attended this church. *Socialite

Lucile Aycock McKee Lucile Best Aycock McKee (March 30, 1919 – November 24, 2013) was an American socialite who served as the sixth president of the Junior League of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1954 to 1955. Early life, family, and education McKee was born Luci ...

attended this church.

Gallery

References

External links

Christ Church on Capitol Square web site
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Raleigh, North Carolina Churches completed in 1848 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches in Raleigh, North Carolina Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Episcopal church buildings in North Carolina Richard Upjohn church buildings Historic district contributing properties in North Carolina

Description and history

Notable people

Gallery

See also

References

External links