- Old West Church (Boston, Massachusetts)
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Old West Church
Old West ChurchLocation: Boston, Massachusetts Coordinates: 42°21′41.19″N 71°3′51.16″W / 42.3614417°N 71.0642111°WCoordinates: 42°21′41.19″N 71°3′51.16″W / 42.3614417°N 71.0642111°W Built: 1806 Architect: Asher Benjamin Architectural style: Federal Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 70000691[1] Significant dates Added to NRHP: December 30, 1970 Designated NHL: December 30, 1970 The Old West Church at 131 Cambridge Street, is a historic church located in the West End of Boston, built in 1806 to designs by architect Asher Benjamin. It was here that the phrase "no taxation without representation" was first coined[citation needed].
The first church on this site was built in 1737 as a wood-frame building, and was occupied as a barracks by British troops during their occupation of the city prior to the American Revolution. The British razed this church in 1775 when they suspected that American Colonials were signaling to Cambridge from its steeple.
Today's Old West Church is thus the second church on the site. As in the architect's earlier Charles Street Meeting House (1804), its 3 1⁄2-story brick entry tower is crowned with a cupola; the whole tower projects outward somewhat from the church hall behind. Four shallow brick pilasters, each two stories high and trimmed with white wood, separate the three entry doors. Each door is echoed with window above it. The tower's third story is outfitted with pairs of Doric pilasters. On the final half-story beneath the cupola are clocks on each face of the tower, each adorned with a light swag. On the back wall, the original central pulpit window has been filled in with brickwork.
Old West's preaching played a major role in American history. Jonathan Mayhew, the church's second Congregational pastor, coined the phrase, "no taxation without representation" in a sermon in Old West. His preaching was theologically radical as well, and is held by some Unitarians to have predated William Ellery Channing in his exposition of anti-trinitarian views. By the early 19th century, the resultant Unitarianism had converted 9 of Boston’s original 13 orthodox Congregational churches.
The church was originally and for many years Congregational, briefly a branch of the Boston Public Library (1894–1896), and has been owned by the Methodist Church since 1964.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
Further reading
- Nancy S. Voye. Asher Benjamin's West Church: A Model for Change. Old-Time New England v.67, no.245, Summer-Fall 1976.
External links
- http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ma0487
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/5415294659/
- http://oldwestchurch.org/
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Religious buildings completed in 1806
- Asher Benjamin buildings
- Churches in Boston, Massachusetts
- National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
- Towers in Massachusetts
- Clock towers in the United States
- West End, Boston
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
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