First Unitarian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio)
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First Unitarian Church is a historic congregation of the
Unitarian Universalist Association Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist congregations. It was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Ch ...
in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Founded in the early nineteenth century, it survived a series of division and reunifications in the nineteenth century. Among the people who have worshipped in its historic
church building A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...
on the city's northern side are many members of the
Taft family The Taft family is an American political family of English descent, with origins in Massachusetts. Its members have served in the states of Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont, and the United States federal government, in variou ...
, including
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
, the
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.


History

In 1828, a Unitarian minister from
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
visited Cincinnati for approximately five weeks. Upon his return to
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, John Pierpont proclaimed to his compatriots the attractive features of Cincinnati, and within two years a Unitarian congregation was founded in the city. Located at the intersection of Fourth and Race Streets
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
, their first church building was dedicated on May 23, 1830;"The First Congregational Church of Cincinnati". ''The Unitarian'' 4.8 (August 1889): 348-351. it was later replaced by a building at the nearby intersection of Eighth and Plum Streets. In its first year, the church was led by a succession of young ministers; although these early pastors were among the most prominent of the denomination's young ministers, many of these men typically left the pastorate at unusually young ages due to failing health. As a result, the congregation was frequently left without a preacher and forced to look to New England for new ministers. Among these men was
William Henry Channing William Henry Channing (May 25, 1810 – December 23, 1884) was an American Unitarian clergyman, writer and philosopher. Early life William Henry Channing was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Channing's father, Francis Dana Channing, died when he w ...
, who served the congregation from 1839 to 1844. Following Channing was the former lawyer James H. Perkins, who drowned in 1849; during his five years of ministry, he engaged the congregation in a range of
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
purposes, such as prison reforms and welfare for the poor. Controversy arose in the 1850s: questions of
abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...
were tense in a city located so close to the
slave state In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were prohibited. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave s ...
of
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, and theological differences over the existence of
miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...
s caused the church to split into two. These tensions were resolved in the 1870s: both congregations had come to reject the existence of miracles, and the Thirteenth Amendment had ended slavery throughout the United States. Under the ministry of George Thayer, which began in 1882, the congregation was faced with widespread movement of members from downtown to the city's northern edges; as a result, the present building was erected along Reading Road, northeast of the former site.


Architecture

In the late 1880s, the congregation arranged for the construction of a new church building along Reading Road. This new building was erected in 1889, with random blocks of
ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
being employed for the church's exterior. Architect James C. McLaughlin introduced many
Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...
elements into the church's design, such as rounded arch windows, structural elements that visually divide the structure into two parts, and random ashlar walls. Among the most distinctive elements of the building's design is the large
rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
on its northern side; designed by Tiffany craftsman Frederick Wilson, it centers on a large image of a personification of Truth.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 600. McLaughlin employed primarily stone in the construction of the building: the foundation is built of
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
, while the walls and some other elements are built of other types of stone.,
Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...
, 2007. Accessed 2011-03-11.
For many years immediately prior to the construction of the new building, the congregation had been declining because many of its members moved away from its previous location; by relocating to a site in a growing neighborhood that was easily reached by public transportation, the leaders hoped to increase its accessibility. McLaughlin's design included such features as a tile roof, massive golden stained glass windows, and two
fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...
s in the sanctuary. The sanctuary itself is a square measuring on each side; at the time of construction, it was capable of seating approximately three hundred worshippers. A large platform underneath the rose window served as the location for the organ and the hand-carven oak
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
.


Taft family

Among the leading members of First Unitarian Church were
Alphonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
and Louise Taft and their children. For many years, Alphonso served as one of the church's
trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...
s, sitting as the chairman of the board of trustees for a period of time. He was often absent from the church in his later years, due to his many responsibilities as the
United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
and
Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
. From his youth, Alphonso and Louise's son William Howard was an active member of the congregation, taking part in many youth activities; decades later, when he was running for president, the congregation's minister remembered his part as a
fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...
in a
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
organized by the congregation's Unity Club. Although his attendance also became less frequent as his governmental responsibilities increased, his influence in the congregation endured, as evidenced by the removal of the congregation's pacifistic minister in a popular wave sparked by Taft's public support for American involvement in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.


Recent history

In 1976, First Unitarian Church's
church building A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...
was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
under the name of "First Unitarian-Congregational Church," qualifying because of its historically significant architecture. Starting two years later, many of the church's members united with musician
Richard Waller Richard Waller may refer to: * Richard Waller (naturalist) (died 1715), English naturalist, translator and illustrator * Sir Richard Waller (knight), English soldier and official * Richard Waller (musician), American clarinetist and visual artist * ...
to help form the
Linton Chamber Music Series Linton Chamber Music Series is a presenter of chamber music and educational concerts based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founding and History Linton Chamber Music grew out of a special concert in March 1977 to reward members of Cincinnati's historic Firs ...
, a partnership with the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cinc ...
. Today, the church is an active part of the
Unitarian Universalist Association Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist congregations. It was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Ch ...
. Rev. Constance Simon became the minister in 2018.Get to Know the Staff
Unitarian Universalist Council of Greater Cincinnati, n.d. Accessed 2018-10-30.


References


Further reading

*Thayer, George A. ''The First Congregational Church (Unitarian) of Cincinnati: A Historical Sketch with Some Account of the Church of the Redeemer, and Unity Church.''
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
: Ebbert & Richardson, 1917.


External links


Church website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Churches completed in 1889 19th-century Unitarian Universalist church buildings Churches in Cincinnati National Register of Historic Places in Cincinnati Religious organizations established in 1830 Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Ohio Romanesque Revival church buildings in Ohio William Howard Taft Unitarian Universalist churches in Ohio U.S. Route 42 1830 establishments in Ohio