National Register of Historic Places

Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House

Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Listed
October 16, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85003312

About this property

Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House are a historic Episcopal Church complex at 15 and 27 Saint Paul Street and 104 Aspinwall Avenue in Brookline, Massachusetts. The Gothic Revival church building was designed by Richard Upjohn and built in 1851-52, and is the oldest surviving religious building in the town. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Saint Paul's Church complex stands at the junction of Saint Paul Street and Aspinwall Avenue in eastern Brookline, roughly halfway between the commercial centers of Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village. The church is a basically rectangular structure, oriented with its long access east-west, with a tower projecting from the northwest corner. Its main entrance is on the long southern facade, near the western end, set in a Gothic-arched opening in a projecting section with a steep gabled roof. The building's walls are puddingstone, and the main roof, also gabled, is made of polychrome slate. The building exhibits classic elements of the Gothic Revival, including lancet-arched windows, tripartite windows with tracery, and elaborate stonework in the tower. The Episcopalian congregation for which it was built was established in 1849 by William and Augustus Aspinwall (the latter donating the land on which the church was built). Richard Upjohn was retained in 1850 to design the building, which was completed two years later. The chapel, also an Upjohn design, was built in 1858 and enlarged in 1880 to a design by Peabody and Stearns. The parish house was designed by Julius Schweinfurth and built in 1895. The church was gutted by fire in 1976 and was rebuilt in 1979-80. The church is the oldest religious building in Brookline. St. Paul's Episcopal Church serves Brookline, nearby Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding areas and is an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. It holds two regular services on Sunday mornings and is well-known for its ministry to children and young adults, strong choral music program, and multiple ministry initiatives outside the parish. Its current rector is the Reverend Doctor Won-Jae Hur, who followed the Reverend Doctor Paul Kolbet, who succeeded the Right Reverend Jeffrey Mello. National Register of Historic Places listings in Brookline, Massachusetts

Location

15 and 27 Saint Paul St. and 104 Aspinwall Ave.
Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
42.34633, -71.11844

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGIONSOCIAL HISTORY
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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House

This page lists Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House. 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:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Saint Paul's Rectory
Industrial
0 mi
Saint Aidan's Church and Rectory
Industrial
0.1 mi
Emmett Cottage
Industrial
0.1 mi
Linden Park
Industrial
0.2 mi
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Roxbury Lines
1775Revolutionary War
1.4 mi
Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
1.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House listed on the National Register?

Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 16, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House?

Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House?

The period of significance for Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House?

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 Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Norfolk County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Norfolk County.

Explore NorfolkCounty ›

More historic places in Massachusetts

Browse all historic places in Massachusetts.

View Massachusettshistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Massachusetts history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Massachusettshistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report