About this property
The Trinity Church, formerly the First Congregational Church, is a historic church in Waltham, Massachusetts. The present church building, an architecturally distinctive blend of Romanesque and Georgian Revival styling, was built in 1870 for a congregation established in 1820. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The church stands on the south side of Main Street (United States Route 20), one block west of Waltham's Central Square. It is separated from the street by lawn, and stands opposite the Francis Buttrick Library. Its main body is oriented north-south, with a gable roof, and a square tower rising at the northeast corner. The main entrance is set at the base of the main block in a segmented-arch opening, and is topped by a tall Palladian window with balcony. The tower corners are pilastered, and the tower includes a belfry stage with round-arch openings before rising to an octagonal spire. The interior is predominantly Georgian Revival in character, the result of extensive interior and exterior alterations in 1925. The building was built in 1870, and originally had Italianate styling, some of which is still evident in its round-arch windows and bracketed gable. First Congregational Church was founded in 1820 as a Trinitarian congregation called the Trinitarian Congregational Church, brought about in part by schism from the Second Religious Society, which chose Unitarianism. Its first church was located at Main and Heard Streets. Growth in the congregation prompted construction of this larger structure in 1870 to a design by Boston-based Thomas Silloway. The schism between the two congregations was healed in 1906, and they were reunited as the First Congregational Church. The church was damaged by fire in 1925, while undergoing the renovations that added its Georgian features. It became a member of the United Church of Christ when that body was formed in 1955, but withdrew in 2006 when the congregation "voted to establish itself as an independent, trans-denominational congregation," and changed its name to Trinity Church. Rev. J. Howard Cepelak served as a pastor for 20 years from 1992 to 2012. In December of 2014 First Congregational Church closed its doors. Rev. Allen J. Batchelder. was presiding over the church during the closure. The congregation chose to sell the building to New Light Korean Church a Presbyterian Church. The sale was for $100 along with transfer of related accounts to fund building upkeep and outreach with a deed restriction that the building continue to be used as a Christian house of worship. New Light had been leasing space from First Congregational Church for several years. New Light provides Korean language worship to its community.
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about First Congregational Church
This page lists First Congregational Church. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was First Congregational Church listed on the National Register?
First Congregational Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1989.
What type of historic resource is First Congregational Church?
First Congregational Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for First Congregational Church?
The period of significance for First Congregational Church is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1820.
Can I research the history near First Congregational Church?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near First Congregational Church will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Middlesex County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Middlesex County.
Explore MiddlesexCounty ›More historic places in Massachusetts
Browse all historic places in Massachusetts.
View Massachusettshistoric sites ›Massachusetts history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Massachusettshistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near First Congregational Church will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.