About this property
The First Universalist Church is a historic Universalist church building located at 150 S. Clinton Ave. in Rochester, New York. Construction began in September 1907 and was dedicated in October 1908. First Universalist Church is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and is one of two Unitarian Universalist congregations in Monroe County, New York; the other being the First Unitarian Church of Rochester. The church conducts one weekly worship service on Sundays, virtually from March 2020 to November 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2021 they began hybrid worship services, with an online service (via Zoom) happening simultaneously with an in-person service in the building. The church is diverse and inclusive, having, in the words of its web site, "no shared creed. Our shared covenant (our Seven Principles) supports “the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” Though Unitarianism and Universalism were both liberal Christian traditions, some of us embrace diverse teachings from other faiths, hold humanist beliefs, or call ourselves atheists". The church's mission statement is: "to nurture the spirit, and serve the community". Social Justice Project Teams(AKA "Social Justice Circles") First Universalist is a Welcoming Congregation, and is recognized as such by the Unitarian Universalist Association. First Universalist releases a small digital weekly email concerning church events. They also have monthly newsletter, titled "Our Outlook", that is published on their website as well as sent out physically. Archives of both these publications, along with archives of past sermons and annual reports, can be found on their website. During the summer of 2020, First Universalist congregation members supported local Black Lives Matter protests both before and after the news of Daniel Prude's death at the hands of the Rochester Police Department was made public. Initially they hosted a table of supplies and made the church restroom available. As the protests lasted into the fall of 2020, First Universalist began hosting the Rochester Street Medic Collective Archived 2021-05-08 at the Wayback Machine. The medics were hosted in the Clara Barton lounge area of the building, off the parking lot. The medics used this site as a home base for storing supplies and an ad hoc site for medical treatment. Water, food, and other supplies were still being distributed to protestors and medics by church members at this time. In December of 2024 First Universalist, First Unitarian Church of Rochester, and UU Canandaigua had a joint "Trans Naming Ceremony" event, hosted by First Unitarian in their building. This event included a spiritual naming ceremony, as is done with welcoming new children into UU faith communities, as well as an LGBTQ+ fair. There was also several workshops on legally changing your name in government IDs, etc, as well as lawyers present to help with legal questions around the matter. It was well attended and there is talk of making it an annual event.
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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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Questions about this property
When was First Universalist Church listed on the National Register?
First Universalist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 26, 1971.
What type of historic resource is First Universalist Church?
First Universalist Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for First Universalist Church?
The period of significance for First Universalist Church is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1907.
Can I research the history near First Universalist 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 Universalist Church will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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