Nomination for Old South Union Church

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

FHR-8-300 (11-78) United tates Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries - complete applicable sections 1. Name For HCRS use only received MAR 3 1982 date enterAPR 1 1982 historic 0ld South Union Church and/or common 2. Location Sane street & number 25 Columbian Street N/A not for publication city, town Weymouth N/At vicinity of congressional district 12th state Massachusetts 3.

Classification code 025 county Norfolk code 021 Category district X building(s) .structure site object Ownership public private both Public Acquisition in process being considered Status - occupied unoccupied - work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted X yes: unrestricted no Present Use - agriculture commercial _ educational entertainment .government - industrial military museum park private residence _ religious scientific transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name Old South Union Church street & number 25 Columbian Street city, town South Weymouth N/A vicinity or Columbian Square Massachusetts state 5. Location of Legal Description courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Norfolk County Registry of Deeds street & number 650 High Street city, town Dedham state 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth 58 title has this property been determined elegible? Massachusetts yes X no date 1978 _federal X state .county local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, 1 Boston Massachusetts state 7. Description WEYMOUTH: O1d South Union Congregational Church, 25 Columbian St. Condition X excellent -good fair _ deteriorated _ ruins unexposed Check one X unaltered altered Check one X original site _moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

Old South Union Church (1853) is a fine and unusual example of mid-nineteenth century eclecticism. The building stands at the civic core of the village of South Weymouth, facing Columbian Square. The main body of the church structure is rectangular in form and plan, with a pedimented frontispiece with a large 3-stage tower and spire. The building: is sheathed in clapboards, with flushboarding on the frontispiece and tower. The ornamentation of the building is a handsome combination of Greek Revival and Italianate forms. The pedimented gable end of the main block contains a raking modillion course; the modillions are repeated on the full entablature which crowns the walls, here accentuated by paired eaves brackets. Small corner quoins further articulate the walls. The tall, narrow windows on this section have 9 over 9 sash with semicircular heads, bracketed sills, and heavy drip moldings.

In contrast to the energetic Italianate details of the main block are the central pavilion and tower, which are more severely Greek. Great panelled Doric pilasters with modillioned capitals support a pediment like that on the main body of the structure. The rectangular windows and main doorway on this frontispiece have simple but very prominent molded architraves, while the doorway on each side of the projection has a Tudor-arched opening. The focal point of the Old South Union Church is its amply proportioned tower. Constructed in three stages, the tower has a flushboarded and panelled 'square base with roundfaced clocks and eaves brackets. The octagonal second stage again has flushboarding, panelled sides, and eaves modillions; it also contains four semi- circular arched openings spanned at the base by low balustrades.

The short third stage is also octagonal, repeating the wall treatment, but with small circular oculi over the arches below, and with a prominent cornice molding arching over the oculi. The tower culminates in an octagonal wooden spire with decorative recessed panels. The Interior follows the instructions of the Building Committee with its coved ceiling and the specified amount of pews. Most of the details are based on the classic idiom, such as the balustraded choir loft and the facing of the organ loft made up of a Roman arched opening framed with pilasters. The panelled benches, decorated with mahogany finials, are now painted white. In 1957, a one story brick wing was added to the north elevation. However, as this is attached only by a connector, it does not compromise the original design of the church.

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 architecture education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement communications industry invention . landscape architecture- law literature military _ music - philosophy politics/government X religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1854 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Old South Union Church is a distinctive illustration of stylistic transition in the mid-nineteenth century. Its role as a cultural and architectural focus of the area meets criterion Cof the National Register of Historic Places. The present church building is the third structure housing the Congregational parish in South Weymouth, established in 1723. Because of the difficulties of attending services in the First Church at North Weymouth (about five miles away), the leading citizens of the southern part of town began the process of parish separation in 1721, culminating in the General Court's official division of the precincts two years later. The parish's first two meetinghouses (1721 and 1785) were located on adjacent sites and no longer stand.

The design of today's Old South Union Church is a striking interplay of forms and The repetition of arched openings, modillion courses, panelled surfaces, pedimented gable ends unifies the disparate stylistic elements of the com- position. Boldly executed proportions and a clean, clear treatment of surfaces-- particularly in the imaginative tower--indicate a highly sophisticated sense of design on the part of the unknown builder.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Nash, Gilbert, Historical Sketch Of the Town of Weynouth, Massachusetts from 1622-1844- Town of Weymouth, 1885. Weymouth Historical Society, History of Weymouht, Massachusetts, Vols. 182, 1923. Chusch Records. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated propertyapprox. 1 acre Quadrangle name - Weymouth UMT References A|119/ |3/318/8100/ Zone Easting 46 70840 Northing cLuLlILu ELULLILIL LILILLL GLULLILLU IITM MOT VERIFIED ACREAGI Quadrangle scale I:25,000 B Zone LiLud LiliLu Easting Northing DLU LiLtL LuLd LILu Verbal boundary description and justification See Attached map List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county code 11.

Form Prepared By Weymouth Historical Commission name/title Wendy Frontiero, Preservation Planner with Chester Kevitt, Chairman organization Massachusetts Historical Commissiondate December 31, 1980 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 02108 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: _ national - state local Asthe designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 665), I hereby nominate this propertyfor inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature Palema <Weslinski title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission date 2/17/82 For HCRS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in theNatired Register Xelouer the ye National Register tace Keeper of the National Register Attest: Chief of Registration date 4/,182 date GPO 938 835 0. 50 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES United States Department of the Intericr NationalPark Service - EVALUATION / RETURN SHEET Proter county d outh Union Church working No. Fed. Reg. Date:. :3/3/82-610 Federal Agency: Date Due: 4 <82 11-82 Action: ACCEPT - 4/1/82 In ter resubmission nomination by person or local governmentlati owner objection appeal RETURN- - REJECT- photos 2 maps 1,/ Substantive Review: - sample - request - appeal - NR decision Reviewer's comments: .Komination returned for: Recom.

/ Criteria Reviewer_ Discipline- Date - see continuation sheet - technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location x3. Ciassification Category Ownership /public Acovisttion 4. Owner of Property Metus Accessibte Present Use 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys has this property been determined eligibie? - yes - no 7. Description Condition _exceten good _ detenorated _ ruins unexposed Chock eme - unaiiered - aherec Check one -original site -mored date - breecribe the procent and eriginal (l knewn) physicei enpesrance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection C.

Significance arted troas of Stamilcenca Chack and huattty baden Spoctte dates Mrotamam el stanificenoo (in emo peragraat) Bulider Archrac summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification ofareas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of excepticn other 9. Hajor Bibliographical References 10. Ceographical Deta Acruage of nominetec property- Qusdranpie nome - UST Rsterences Verbal boundery doscription and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The ersiutec signiticance of thie property within the state is: _neional _ stane loca! Hate Metonc Preservation Ofticer signature date 13.

Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Signed - Date Phone: 202 272-3504 Commentsfor any item may be continued on anEttached sheet WEYMOUTH, MA Old South Union Church Looking east Photo by Chester Kevitt, 1979 Negative with photographer at Photo 1 of 2 41 ColumbiaNeymouth OLD S0UTH UNIOW CHURCH - LOOKING EAST TOWARD COLUMBIAN SQUARE - S.WEYMOUTH MASS. MAR 3 1982 WEYMOUTH, MA Old South Union Ch. Looking north Photo by Chester Kevitt, 1979 Negative with photographer at 41 Columbian St- 3 1982 Weymouth MAR Photo 2 of 2 OLD SOUTH UNION CHURCH LOOKING NORTH SO WEYMOUTH MASS ATLAS OF TOWN OF WEYMOUTH FURTON 11200 167/1 Prepared by: Department of Public Works, Engineering Division OLD SOUTH "Plan of a part of Weymouth" MAR 3 1982 UNIOM CHURCH Revised to January 1, 1974 (CONGREGATIONAL) Sheet # 45 Page # 41 Scale: one inch = 200 ft.

U Vaig STREET PHYDRANT The Uniit 5 Conareadtional Society of Weymouth 15 Druin*-. Easement 41,5 LNVNOLNO $25° 22 14500 3 19240 2 8607 14700 Union Congregaticna! Society The 4734÷ Weymouth LAYPRANT ROAD 10000 19 7175 24 8350 26 18506 BANK CHURCH UNIVERSALIST SECOWD: 125 12150 18 EASANT RE STATIO1 6/4890 CHAUNCY 10001 4972 2 3 3195 3 110 Ease BAILEY GREEN OLD SOUTH UNION CHURCH Town of Weymouth Fogg Library 7 30975 hydrant 5661 29 0500 28 3500 27 11300 PNYORAN STREE 1 1293( Name ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered APRIL 1, 1982 Location Felton, Nathaniel, Houses Peabody Essex County Belcher-Rowe House Milton Norfolk County Mills, Davis, House Needham Norfolk County |O1d South Union Church Weymouth Norfolk County Notified Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Honorable Paul E. Isongas Honorable Nicholas Mavroules Honorable Brian J.

Donnelly Honorable John Joseph Moakley Honorable Gerry E. Studds Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, NPS North Atlantic Regional Office, NPS State Historic Preservation Officer Mrs. Patricia L. Weslowski Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 For further information, please call the NationalRegister at (202) 272-3504