First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ | |
Location | Main St., Farmington, Maine |
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Coordinates | 44°40′4″N 70°9′0″W / 44.66778°N 70.15000°W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1887 |
Architect | Coombs, George M. |
Architectural style | Romanesque |
NRHP reference No. | 74000149[1] |
Added to NRHP | July 25, 1974 |
The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, also known as the New Old South Congregational Church, is a historic church at 235 Main Street in Farmington, Maine. The congregation's present sanctuary is a brick Romanesque structure designed by George M. Coombs and was completed in 1887. It is the town's finest 19th-century church, and one of the most architecturally sophisticated in the region. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1] The congregation, established in 1814, celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2014.
Architecture and history
[edit]The congregation of the South Congregational Church was formally established in 1814, having existed in an informal way for about 10 years, sharing space with other religious groups in a common meeting house.[2] In 1814 the congregation built its own church, which was burned down in a major fire which swept through Farmington in 1886. The congregation then retained the Lewiston-based architect George M. Coombs to design a replacement structure. (Coombs would also design a number of other prominent buildings in Farmington that were built after the fire.)[3]
The building Coombs designed is a large brick Romanesque Revival structure, with a granite foundation and brownstone trim. The main facade, facing Main Street, has the roof gable flanked by a pair of towers that project slightly from the corners. The right-hand tower is the larger of the two, rising in four stages to a pyramidal roof with square pinnacles at the corners. The left-hand tower is three stages, and lacks the pinnacles. A doorway is found in the base of each tower, recessed in a round-arch opening. The center of the main facade is dominated by a large wheel window, fashioned in stained glass by Redding and Baird of Boston, which is set under a slightly-recessed arch and above a row of five rectangular windows.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Our History". Old South Congregational Church. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
- ^ a b "NRHP nomination for First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-12-26.