National Register of Historic Places

Church on the Hill

Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Listed
September 29, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82001894

About this property

The Church on the Hill is a historic church building at 169 Main Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. Built in 1805, it is one of a small number of surviving Federal period churches in the region. Its congregation, gathered in 1769, belongs to the United Church of Christ, and its offices are located at 55 Main Street. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The church is located on a rise at the northern end of Lenox village, on the west side of Main Street. It stands on a parcel 6 acres (2.4 ha) in size that includes the town's first cemetery. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. A gabled entry vestibule projects from the center of the main (south-facing) facade, with the entrance at its center, flanked by pilasters and topped by a gabled pediment. Above the entrance are a Palladian window and a dentillated gable. The building corners have fluted pilasters. A tower rises astride the main block and the vestibule projections, with a square clock-faced stage topped by an open octagonal belfry with paneled pilastered supports. Above the belfry is an octagonal paneled stage which is crowned by a cupola, finial, and cross. The meetinghouse was built in 1805 by architect and builder Benjamin D. Goodrich of Richmond, based on designs by Asher Benjamin and Charles Bulfinch. It was dedicated on January 1, 1806. Its total cost was $6,619.00 including furnishings. The building was erected on land near the town's first meetinghouse (built 1770), which it replaced. The current pastor is the Rev. Elizabeth (Liz) R. Goodman. A painting of the church, by American Impressionist Clark G Voorhees, is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. National Register of Historic Places listings in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Centennial Anniversary of the Dedication of the Old Church on the Hill, Lenox, Massachusetts, June 12, 1906

Location

Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
42.36398, -73.28346

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURERELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Lenox Academy
Industrial
0.3 mi
Lenox Library
Industrial
0.4 mi
Lenox High School
Industrial
0.5 mi
Trinity Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.6 mi
Ventfort Hall
Listed
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Church on the Hill listed on the National Register?

Church on the Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Church on the Hill?

Church on the Hill is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Church on the Hill?

The period of significance for Church on the Hill is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Church on the Hill?

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