First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church (originally Congregationalist) founded in 1630 by

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1588 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the fir ...

's original Puritan settlement in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. The current building, located on 66 Marlborough Street in the

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...

neighborhood, was designed by Paul Rudolph in a modernist style after a fire in 1968. It incorporates part of the earlier gothic revival building designed by

William Robert Ware William Robert Ware (May 27, 1832 – June 9, 1915), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts into a family of the Unitarian clergy, was an American architect, author, and founder of two important American architectural schools. He received his o ...

and

Henry Van Brunt Henry Van Brunt FAIA (September 5, 1832 – April 8, 1903) was an American architect and architectural writer. Life and work Van Brunt was born in Boston in 1832 to Gershom Jacques Van Brunt and Elizabeth Price Bradlee. Van Brunt attended ...

in 1867. The church has long been associated with

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and Boston's

Freedom Trail The Freedom Trail is a path through Boston that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. It winds from Boston Common in downtown Boston, to the Old North Church in the North End and the Bunker Hill Monument i ...

which includes the

burial site Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

- Massachusetts’ first Governor who, as a member of First Church, fought for

truth-telling A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

and

freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

History

The church congregation was established in 1630, when the settlers on the ''

Arbella ''Arbella'' or ''Arabella'' was the flagship of the Winthrop Fleet on which Governor John Winthrop, other members of the Company (including William Gager), and Puritan emigrants transported themselves and the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay C ...

'' arrived at the site of present-day

Charlestown, Massachusetts Charlestown is the oldest Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Also called Mishawum by the Massachusett, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Bost ...

John Wilson John Wilson may refer to: Academics * John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of ''Our Israelitish Origin'' (1840), a founding text of British Israelism * John Wilson (agriculturalist) (1812–1888), British agriculturalist * John Matthias ...

was the first minister, and the only minister while the church was in Charlestown. Two years later they constructed a

meeting house A meeting house (also spelled meetinghouse or meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes private meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a: * chu ...

across the

Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...

near what is now State Street in Boston, and Wilson was officially installed as minister there. In 1633 John Cotton arrived from England, and was a teaching elder at the church, helping to establish the foundation of the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

, the official state church of Massachusetts. In 1677

Dorcas ye blackmore Dorcas ye blackmore (c. 1620–after 1677) was one of the first named African Americans to settle in New England. In 1641, she became the first known African American admitted to the local Puritan congregation. Biography Born in Africa c. 1620, D ...

, a freed slave, became the first African American allowed to become a member of the church. In the 18th century,

Charles Chauncy Charles Chauncy (baptized 5 November 1592 – 19 February 1672) was an Anglo-American Congregational church, Congregational clergyman, educator, and secondarily, a physician. He was the second President of Harvard University, Harvard. Life ...

was a minister at First Church for sixty years, where he gained a reputation for opposing what he believed was the emotionalism of

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...

during the

Great Awakening The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the late 20th cent ...

. A schism developed at the turn of the 19th century: this Trinitarian Christian church eventually transformed into a Unitarian congregation by the mid-19th century, as did many of the other state churches in Massachusetts. Massachusetts' state churches (largely Unitarian and Congregationalist, including First Church), were officially disaffiliated from the government in 1833. In the 19th century, the First Church moved to

in Boston. The building at 66 Marlborough Street in Boston dated from 1868, and was designed by Boston architects

and

. Second Church, also known as the "Church of the Mathers", was founded in 1649 when the population spread to the North End and justified an additional congregation sited closer to those individuals' homes. From 1664 to 1741, its clergy consisted of

Increase Mather Increase Mather (; June 21, 1639 Old Style – August 23, 1723 Old Style) was a History of New England, New England Puritan clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the sixth President of Harvard University, President of Harvard College (la ...

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects. After being educated at Harvard College, he join ...

, and Samuel Mather. Both churches were examples of the westward movement of Boston churches from the crowded, older downtown area to the newer, more fashionable Back Bay. This area was developed for residential use after lowlands were filled in during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Second Church's Back Bay location in the Fenway was sold (it is now owned by the Ruggles St. Baptist congregation) just before the merger. After a disastrous fire in 1968, First Church and Second Church merged and built a new building at the 66 Marlborough Street location.

Architecture

The current building incorporates the ruined street facade and " puddingstone" steeple tower of the previous church on the site (by Ware & van Brunt, 1868), which had burned in 1968. After a call for designs, the congregation voted for the proposal by Paul Rudolph, which was completed in 1972. The light-flooded, soaring interior is finished with Rudolph's characteristic

bush hammer A bush hammer, also known as an axe hammer, is a masonry tool used to texturize stone and concrete. The term is derived from the German word ''bosshammer'', where Old German ''bossen'' meant "to beat". Description and use Bush hammers exist in ...

ed "corduroy concrete" surfaces. Decades later, the interiors are immaculately preserved. Great care has been taken not to permanently change the walls, and to reproduce the original textile decorations. File:2007 1stChurch Boston MA 382333230 a5f3856548 o.jpg, 1868 steeple tower File:2007 1stChurch Boston MA 382336789.jpg, Charred

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

frame and facade File:2007 1stChurch Boston MA 382334061.jpg, Exterior steps forming an

amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

File:2007 1stChurch Boston MA 2070348322.jpg, View towards sanctuary File:2007 1stChurch Boston MA 2067441398.jpg, Organ loft, finished in "corduroy concrete"

Notable people associated with the church

Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1,600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-know ...

(organist 1807-1811) *

(pastor 1632–1667; died 1667) * John Cotton (pastor 1633–1652) *

, founder and governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony * Stephen Winthrop, son of John Winthrop * John Norton (pastor 1656–1663) *

John Wheelwright John Wheelwright (c. 1592–1679) was a Puritan clergyman in England and America, noted for being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Antinomian Controversy, and for subsequently establishing the town of Exeter, New Hamps ...

(pastor) * Valentine Hill, (

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

) *

Robert Keayne Robert Keayne (1595 – March 23, 1656) was a prominent public figure in 17th-century Boston, Massachusetts. He co-founded the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts and served as speaker of the House of the Massachusetts Ge ...

, (student/notetaker) * Benjamin Keanye, (member) * John Davenport (pastor 1668–1670) * Thomas Cobbet (

reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

1645) * James Allen (pastor 1668–1710; died 1710) *

John Oxenbridge John Oxenbridge (30 January 1608 – 28 December 1674) was an English Nonconformist divine, who emigrated to New England. Life He was born at Daventry, Northamptonshire, and was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Magdalen Hall, Oxfo ...

(pastor 1670–1674) * Joshua Moodey (pastor 1684–1692; died 1697) * John Bailey (pastor 1693–1697; died 1697) * Benjamin Wadsworth (pastor 1696–1737) * Thomas Bridge (pastor 1705–1715; died 1715) * Thomas Foxcroft (pastor 1717–1769) *

(pastor 1727–1787) * John Clarke (pastor 1778–1798) * William Emerson (pastor 1799–1811) *

John Lovejoy Abbot John Lovejoy Abbot (November 29, 1783 – October 17, 1814) was an American clergyman and librarian. John Lovejoy Abbot was born in Andover on November 29, 1783. His father for whom he was named was a farmer. Abbot prepared for college at th ...

(pastor 1813–1814) *

Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham (23 July 1793 – 3 April 1870) was an American Unitarian minister and pastor of the First Church of Boston from 1815 to 1850. Frothingham was opposed to Theodore Parker and the interjection of transcendentalism int ...

(minister 1815–1850) * Sophia Henrietta Emma Hewitt (music director 1815–17(?), daughter of

James Hewitt James Lifford Hewitt (born 30 April 1958) is a retired cavalry officer in the British Army. He came to public attention in the mid-1990s after he disclosed an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales, while she was still married to then- Prince C ...

Charles Zeuner Charles Zeuner (20 September 1795 Eisleben, Saxony7 November 1857 Philadelphia) was an American organist and composer originally active in Germany, then in Boston and Philadelphia in the United States. Biography He was baptized as Heinrich Christo ...

(music director 1839–?) * Lucien H Southard (music director 1848–?) *

Rufus Ellis Rufus Ellis (September 14, 1819, in Boston – September 23, 1885)Eliot, Samuel A,, editor, ''Heralds of a Liberal Faith'', Vol 3, "Rufus Ellispp. 103–104 American Unitarian Association, Boston (1910). was a Unitarian minister. His brother, Ge ...

(pastor 1853–c. 1885; died 1885) * Whitney Eugene Thayer (music director 1869–1875) *

Arthur Foote Arthur William Foote (March 5, 1853 in Salem, Massachusetts – April 8, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American classical composer, and a member of the " Boston Six." The other five were George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward Ma ...

(music director 1878–1910) * Charles Edwards Park (minister 1906–1946, emeritus 1946–1962) * Rhys Williams (minister 1960–2000) * Stephen Kendrick (minister 2001–present) * Paul Cienniwa (music director 2006–2017)

Gallery

State St. (1632–1639)

File:1stMeetingHouse KingsBoston1881.png, First meeting house, built 1632 File:JohnWilson 1stChurch Boston.png, John Wilson (pastor 1632–1667) File:JohnCotton.jpg, John Cotton (pastor 1633–1652)

Washington St. (1639–1808)

File:17thcMap CourtSt SchoolSt Boston Drake1917.png, Location near Old State House, 17th century File:JohnDavenport 1stChurch Boston.png, John Davenport (pastor 1668–1670) File:Old Brick Church, built 1712, demolished 1808 by unknown artist Old State House Museum, Boston, MA - IMG 6790.JPG, Old Brick Church, Washington St., built 1713 File:JohnClarke 1stChurch Boston.png, John Clarke (pastor 1778–1798)

Chauncy Place (1808–1867)

File:WilliamEmerson 1stChurch Boston.png, William Emerson (pastor 1799–1811) File:1808 ChauncyPlace 1stChurch Boston.png, Chauncy Place, 1808–1867 File:1stCong ChauncyPl Boston HomansSketches1851.jpg, Chauncy Place, 1808–1867 File:NathanielFrothingham 1stChurch Boston.png, Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham (pastor 1815–1850)

Marlborough St. (1868–present)

File:Unitarian Church, Marlborough and Berkeley St, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg, 19th century File:RufusEllis 1stChurch Boston.png, Rufus Ellis (pastor 1853 – c. 1885) File:2590347158 BerkeleySt Boston.jpg, Marlborough St. and Berkeley St., 1920

References

External links

First Church in Boston website

1630 Christian Covenant of First Church in Boston
{{Coord, 42, 21, 13.7, N, 71, 4, 28.3, W, region:US, display=title 1630 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Back Bay, Boston Churches in Boston Religious organizations established in the 1630s Towers in Massachusetts Unitarian Universalist churches in Massachusetts