Nomination for Grace Episcopal Church

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DATA SHEET FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUL 16 1976 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED NOV 7 1976 SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS NAME HISTORIC Grace Episcopal Church AND/OR COMMON 2 LOCATION STREET & NUMBER Corner of Common and Jackson Streets CITY, TOWN _NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Lawrence 5th STATE - VICINITY OF CODE COUNTY CODE Massachusetts 025 Essex 009 3 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY _DISTRICT XBUILDING(S) _STRUCTURE _SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP _PUBLIC XPRIVATE -BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION -IN PROCESS _BEING CONSIDERED STATUS X OCCUPIED _UNOCCUPIED _WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE X_YES: RESTRICTED -YES: UNRESTRICTED _NO PRESENT USE AGRICULTURE -MUSEUM _COMMERCIAL _PARK _EDUCATIONAL _PRIVATE RESIDENCE -ENTERTAINMENT XRELIGIOUS _GOVERNMENT _SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPORTATION -MILITARY _OTHER: 4 OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Grace Episcopal Church in Lawrence, Inc.

STREET & NUMBER 35 Jackson Street CITY. TOWN Lawrence STATE Massachusetts 01840 VICINITY OF 5 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC. Essex County Registry of Deeds STREET & NUMBER 381 Common Street CITY. TOWN Lawrence STATE Massachusetts REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE 1976 _FEDERAL XSTATE COUNTY LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS Massachusetts Historical Commission CITY. TOWN Boston STATE Massachusetts 7-DESCRIPTION CONDITION x EXCELLENT _GOOD -FAIR _DETERIORATED -RUINS _UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE -UNALTERED X ALTERED CHECK ONE X ORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE. DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

Grace Church occupies a half acre corner lot at the intersection of Common and Jackson Streets. The church faces the Common. The church is a simple rectangular auditorium. The wall surfaces are random ashlar except for the rear, which is face brick and stone. The gabled end of the roof faces Jackson Street. The facade is three bays wide with three pointed arch entrances. The center bay projects and above its entrance are three lancet windows. At the peak of the gable is a gabled stone bell housing that projects beyond the center bay. The housing is supported by two massive stone consoles that step out and form a three pointed arch. The opening for the bell is also a pointed arch. The corners of the projecting bay and the building proper are quoined in a rough cut stone. Fenestration on the side elevations is narrow pointed arch windows.

Six triangular dormers are set in the roof, one third down from the ridge. At the southeast corner of the church is a one story addition, built in 1895, similar in design to the main body of the church. Attached to the church at the northeast corner, is a 2z story ell-shaped parish house. The shaft of the ell was built in 1929 in a Tudor Revival style. The base of the ell was built in 1958 in a contemporary man- ner with appropriate gestures to the Tudor Revival style of the Parish House. On the lot, in the area formed by the parish hall to the north and church to the soutn, is a privately owned vernacular Romanesque commercial building of about 1850.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD -PREHISTORIC -1400-1499 - 1500-1599 -1600-1699 -1700-1799 X.1800-1899 -1900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC COMMUNITY PLANNING ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC _CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE -ECONOMICS XARCHITECTURE _EDUCATION ART -ENGINEERING _COMMERCE _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -COMMUNICATIONS -INDUSTRY -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _LAW -LITERATURE _MILITARY -MUSIC _PHILOSOPHY -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT -INVENTION XRELIGION _SCIENCE -SCULPTURE -SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN -THEATER -TRANSPORTATION -OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES 1851, 1895 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT Hammatt Billings, Ralph A. Cram Grace Church was founded on October 11, 1840, tive months before the Town oi Law- rence was established. In the spring of 1846 the Episcopal Church Missionary Asso- ciation of the Eastern District of Massachusetts, "believing that there were several- places within her limits where the church might be established, appointed in :April the Rev. George Packard as missionary., Three stations were designated as demanding particular attention, one of which was the manufacturing town that was to be built upon the banks of the Merrimack near Methuen." The new town was named for the Lawrence family; the family has always remained per- sonally concerned with Grace Church. Iwo of the clergy, William Lawrence, the second rector, and his son, W.

Appleton Lawrence, a curate, were members of the Lawrence family; both later became Episcopal Bishops, as did three of the other light rectors of Grace Church. Land was offered by the Essex Corporation as a site for the church and the selection was made by Mr. Lawrence and the missionary. They chose a lot at the corner of Jack- son and Common Streets. The deed required that within five years a church of stone or brick would be built. On July 1, 1846, a design for a small wooden church was submitted by Hammatt and Jo- seph Billings of Boston. The Billings also designed the Thayer Public Library of Beitesley Maeaehusht ,send Haeatre Bn1Bosgo ane des red ont Streetale hodi st Church in Boston. In 1851 the wooden chapel was moved to Garden Street and the present stone church was built in its place. The new church was dedicated on May 5, 1852.

As the church grew, the need for more space arose. In the spring of 1895 plans were drawn to enlarge the church by adding a new chancel and wings on either side. These plans were drawn by the young firm of Gram, Wentworth, and Goodhue. Later Cram and Ferguson were responsible for other work in the interior, including the choir stalls, choir room, sacristy and new organ. The rood beam and calvary were executed for Ralph Adams Cram by Lualdi,:

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Saunders, Edith St. Loe; The First Hundred Years, Lawrence: 1946. Dorgan, Maurice B.; Lawrence, Yesterday and Today, Lawrence: 1918. Dorgan, Maurice B.; History of Lawrence,Massachusetts, Lawrence: 1924. Rushford & Donoghue; Lawrence Up To Date, Lawrence: 1895. 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acre ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY UTM REFERENCES A1,9 ZONE 13/2,3/2,7,0 EASTING 14,7/3,015,1,0/ NORTHING LLiLu VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION EASTING NORTHING " NORTHING LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE 11 FORM PREPARED BY NAME/ TITLE John Castle, Historian Grace Episcopal Church Joseph R.

ORGANIZATION Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET & NUMBER 294 Washington Street CITY OR TOWN Boston Orfant, National Register Editor and DATE July 8, 1976 TELEPHONE 617-727-8470 STATE Massachusetts 2 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: NATIONAL - STATE _ LOCAL As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665). 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE ;abut Rud Amadnn TITLE Bxecative Directoz, Massachueotze Historical commuaziar DATE 7/8/76 FOR NPS USE ONLY 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAAT THIS P RTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER TDIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ARCHEOI ATTEST KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER VARON DATE 11/7/26 DATE 4/1/>6 GPO 892.453 AnkesEsser ommnac Cpescapal chunchone, DATE OF RECEIPT 4/3/72 YES DATA PAGE PHOTO (S) PHOTO DESCRIPTION (S) MAP (S) MAP DESCRIPTION (S) LOGGED ACKNOWLEDGE RESUBMIT 4/3/12 REVIEW NOV 3 1972 08$6081966 HISTORIAN Tech Kevew ck Clany 10-4.12 10/6/72 ARCHEOLOGIST ARCHITECT ASST. KEEPER KEEPER WRITER/EDITOR DIRECTOR, OAHP EDITORIAL PROCESSING, EDITOR Federal Registry Entry /2-5-72 Logged NOV 3 197/2 Card NOV 3 Annual Edition Entry.

1972 COMMENTS: WORKING NUMBER 4.3.22.412 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: #7 Grace Episcopal Church GeoFerey Poore Essey 1975 370 Ames Street Lawrence, MA. County JUL 16 1976 NOV & 1976 Photograph #1 Looking northeast to the church PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER WILLIAMS LAWREN Grace Episcopal Church Lawrence, MA. 1975 Essex County Geoffrey Poore 1975 370 Ames Street JUL 16 1976 Lawrence, MA. Photograph #2 NOV 7 1976 Looking southeast to the Parish House PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER PAUL GUZZI Secretary of the Commonwealth October 19, 1976 The Commonwvealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary Massachusells Historical Commission 291 Nashington Street Boston, e Massachuselts 02108 (617) 727-8470 Mr. William Iebovich National Register of Historic Places Office of Archeology and Historic Preservatio National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C.

20240 RECEIVED 1976 NATIONAL REGISTER Dear Bill: As you suggested in our phone conversation of October 15 concerning Grace Episcopal Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, this is a clarification of its significance. Grace Episcopal Church is significant historically for its association with the Lawrence family. As you know, the Lawrence family was prominent in Massachusetts commerce, and industry and widely respected for their philanthropy and humanitarianism. Significantly, the only mill owner and member of the "Boston Associates" to actually take up residence in the Merrimack Valley was a Lawrence, who for a time lived in Iowell. The Lawrences associated with Grace Episcopal Church were naturally all clergy.

They had admirable reputations for their work among textile workers in the city of Lawrence and several of them rose to prominence as Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Grace Episcopal is architecturally significant as the work of Hammet Billings, a Massachusetts architect of the mid-century, who with his brother Joseph, enjoyed some reputation for their work. The principal architectural significance appears to be the association of Ralph Adams Cram with the church throughout its growth in the 19th century, and the span of his career. I hope that this answers your questions sufficiently. If I can be of any assistance please let me know. Sincerely, qoe Ofant Joseph R.

Orfant National Register Editor Massachusetts Historical Commission JRO/pg ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered NOV 7 1976 Name Location Greendale Village Improvement Society Buiiding Grace Episcopal Church Lane, Anthony, House Worcester Worcester County Lawrence Essex County Lancaster Worcester County Also Notified Hon. Edward M. Kennedy Hon. Idward W. Erooke Hon. Joseph D. Tarly Hon. Paul Isongas Hon. Edward P. 2oland Regional Director, North Atlantic Region 880 MMott/row 11/12/76 State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Elizabeth R. Amadon Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Comnission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts INT: 2950-75 / NR Data Sheet DATE: Revlewer NR 1/23/76 INITIALS: BG DOE NAME AS IT APPEARS IN FEDERAL PEGISTER: Grace Episcopal Church OTHER NAMES: LOCATION: STREET & NUMBER Common and Jackson Sts. CITY.

TOWN Lawrence CONGRESSIUNAL DISTRICT 5th STATE Massachusetts -VICINITY OF 025 COUNTY Essex code 009 OWNER OF PROPERTY: (Circle) PRIVATE STATE LOCAL GOV*T MUNICIPAL COUNTY OTHER ADMINISTRATOR (underline) FEDERAL (AGENCY NAME): NPS REGION: (CIRCLE) N.ATLANTIC MID ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTHWEST ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEATURES: INTERIOR Substantially intact-1 Z unknown - 4 - not applicable - 7 CONDITION - _EXCELLENT GOOD -FAIR EXTERIOR ENVIRONS KSubstantially intact-2 Substantially intact-3 - unknown.-5 K. unknown -6 _ not applicable - 8 _Not applicable-9 -Interioi, exterior, environs not intact-0 _DETERIORATED -UNALTERED _RUINS ALTERED _UNEXPOSED _Reconstructed _ORIGINAL SITE _MOVED -Unknown _Unexcavater -Excavated ACCESS - Yes-restricted Yes-unrestricted No access Unknown historic district? YES NO WITHIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT? IF YES,.

NAME: YES NO WITHIN NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK? IF YES, NAME: YES NO ADAPTIVE USE: YES NO Saved ?

YES NO FUNCTION (S): (use vocabulary words) then- church now- Churck SIGNIFICANCE: _ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC -ARCHEOLOGY HISTORIC AGRICULTURI ARCHITECTURI -ART -COMMERCE -COMMUNICATIONS Claims "first" YES -CONSERVATION - ECONOMICS -EDUCATION -ENGINEERING _EXPLORATION _INDUSTRY _INVENTION NO _LANDSCAPE ARCH!TECTURE _RELIGION _LAW/Gov't/politics _SCIENCE _LITERATURE _MILITARY _MUSIC _PHILOSOPHY -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT "oldest2 YES NO _entertainment _health - recreation SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN -settlement -TRANSPORTATION ,3|-s9c10/cultural Kurban & commun -OTHER (SPECIFY) planning "only" YES NO ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: gollue architect/m.builder: Cram, wentwoith, and Goodhue engineer: landscape/garden designer: interior decorator: Gam + Feguon artist/artisan: builder/contractor: ETHNIC GROUP: NAMES: (label role & appropriate date) personal William Lawrence Yoming fo astont iun act mand manlr of events institutional DATES: DATE OF CONSTRUCIION (specificdate ox 1/4ofcentury):/85/1875 DATE (S) OF "MAJOR" ALTERATIONS: /921, 1958 HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DATE (S) : SOURCE: (OF NOMINATION) PRIVATE STATE LOCAL GOV"T MUNICIPAL COUNTY OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY: ACREAGE: (to nearest tenth of an acre) 15 COMMENTS: (include architectural information here) goacsptio tiangular dormora, etme, Botie, rectangulen, pabled nay, pryeotng 12T baist maction ai Tuses Resmel atflen, and - 1958 32iat n50 SIGNIFICA NCE: (mdximum two sentences) Plemned t vore the nao-momyachariy commnemty dawrera, rmnpyounded ly ea Gpixopelen misoimany Egunizatons I5tle; 5mmmnthe for te tua na esteblit dp ad the bücding sea tho chuchs fiort ppemament eten uicdiny, niginel vooden ox.