Nomination for Pleasant Street Congregational Church

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No.1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park 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 NPS use only received MAY 2 3 1983 date entered historic Orthodox Congregational Church andor common Pleasant Street Congregational Church (preferred)" 2. Location street & number 75 Pleasant Street N/A not for publication city, town Arlington N/A vicinity of state Massachusetts code 025 county Middlesex code 017 3.

Classification Category district - building(s) _ structure site object Ownership public private both Public Acquisition N/Ain process being considered 0 10110 Status X occupied unoccupied work in progress Accessible yes: restricted yes: unrestricted no Present Use agriculture _ commercial educational entertainment government industrial military X museum - park private residence religious scientific transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name Pleasant Street Congregational Church of Arlington' street & number 75 Pleasant Streét city, town Arlington N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Middlesex County Courthouse - South District Registry of Deeds street & number 208 Cambridge St- city, town East Cambridge state Massachusetts 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys title Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth, #360 has this property been determined eligible? date 1981 -federal XState - - county yes X no local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description Pleasant Street Congregational Church, Arlington, Massachusetts Condition _ excellent & good e tair _ deteriorated . ruins unexposed Check one - unaltered X altered Check one _ original site moved date N/A Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Pleasant Street Congregational Church (1844) occupies a corner lot at the inter- section of Pleasant and Maple Streets near the civic core of Arlington. neighborhood is primarily residential, characterized by generously spaced single family houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main body of the wood-frame church is rectangular in plan with a pedimented frontis- piece with a large three-stage tower and spire. The building is sheathed in clapboard with horizontal boarding on the raised basement and flushboarding on the frontispiece and tower, except where rusticated siding appears on the first state. The entire structure is painted white as it was originally. The ornamentation of the building is predominately Greek Revival, but exhibits eclecticism in the use of some Adamesque and Egyptian Revival forms.

The main block is trimmed on all elevations with a dentilled cornice, wide frieze and fascia at the eaves line, framed by channelled corner pilastersand capped by a low pitch gable roof. The focal point of the Pleasant Street Congregational Church is its monumental pedimented entrance pavilion and tower. The trim details of the main block are repeated on the frontispiece which is further articulated by a group of more exuberant architectural forms. A pair of fluted and tapered Egyptian Revival columns with flared capitals support the pediment and divide the facade into three bays, the center wider than the peripheral ones. The central entry is probably a ca. 1930 remodelling of the original. Its double doors are flanked by pilasters and surmounted by engaged Ionic columns and a projecting arch moulding.

A pair of narrow roundhead windows, separated by a single colonette and trimmed with voussoirs and keystones marks the gallery level. The flanking bays are articulated by simple inset rectangular panels and blind roundhead windows above. The vertical emphasis of the building displayed by the frontispiece is further accen- tuated in the tower which rises above. Constructed in three stages, the tower has a rusticated square base (on the main and side elevations)with. a central inset flushboarded panel containing a roundhead window and flanking Ionic colonettes supported on an engaged low balustrade. A raking modillion course completes the cornice of the first stage. The octagonal second stage is short, flushboarded, and decorated on alternate faces by one upright volute or a raised rectangular moulding.

The elongated third stage is also octagonal with pilasters at each corner, louvered roundhead openings in the four major elevations topped by a wide frieze and projecting cornice. The tower culminates in an octagonal wooden spire with clapboarding. The original 130-foot high spire, constructed in 1845 a year after the church was com- pleted, was demolished in the 1871 cyclone. Its replacement, subsequently damaged and removed following the 1938 hurricane, was eventually followed in 1964 by the present spire. Although the new spire is slightly different in detailing, it retains the same scale and proportions as its predecessors. (Continued) NPS Form 10-900-8 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Pleasant Street Congregational Continuation sheet Church, Arlington, Massachusettfem number 7 OMB No.

1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 Far NPS uea anly roceived date enterec Page 1 The side elevations are five bays wide with a one bay, set back section at the rear of the building added in 1883. Fenestration treatment consists of 12/12 windows with simple projecting lintels at the nave level and 8/8 windows at the basement level. The present clear glass of the nave windows replaced earlier, but not original stained glass (see below). In addition to the above mentioned spire work, the Pleasant Street Congregational Church has undergone several other alterations. These alterations were confined mostly to the interior; the exterior remains substantially as it was when first built.

Major renovations of 1883 reflected current Victorian tastes and included painting of the exterior "Bismark Brown and olive, bringing out the mass of fine work on the steeple which was hidden by plain color before"; lengthening the rear by 28 feet; dividing the basement into five rooms; and the addition of interior frescoe work by H. M. Batchelder and "large squares of amber tint ripple glass" to the windows. In 1909, the church was returned to its original light color scheme and appropriate redecoration of the interior occurred. A two-story Colonial Revival brick parish house added to the southwest (rear) corner in 1955 does not compromise the original design of the church.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Pleasant Street Congregational Church, Arlington, Massachusetts Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 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 X religion law literature military music philosophy politics/government science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1844 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Joseph Sanger (Contractor) Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Pleasant Street Congregational Church possesses integrity of design, materials, workmanship, location and association. It is significant as a distinctive local example of Greek Revival ecclesiastical architecture, as one of the few remaining major buildings of that style in Arlington, and for its Egyptian Revival detailing, a rarely employed style. Further, it stands as the sole surviving early church structure in the town still occupied by its original congregation, and possesses strong associations with the rapid expansion and development of Arlington in the 19th centüry. The Pleasant Street Congregational Church thus meets criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places.

Conformity in religious matters was demanded of the earliest settlers in Menotomy (later West Cambridge and now current-day Arlington). Any 'free man' must have been an "orthodox member of the church, at least twenty years old, worth 200, and taken an oath to be a true and faithful subject and yield assistance and support to the church and Commonwealth"1 For a full 150 years, between 1630 and 1780, the "First Parish" was the only recognized, legally sanctioned congregation in Arlington. Until 1732 the house of worship itself was in present-day Harvard Square, Cambridge.

That year, after over a decade of petitions, Menotomy was granted its own "2d Precinct" parish, which in its turn usurped the fielty of all residents of the Village who were compelled to attend worship services except for "just cause." The first church structure in Arlington was constructed by the residents of Menotomy and first opened for services in February of 1735. It measured 36 feet x 46 feet and contained 18 pews. Seating priority was a function of wealth and prestige within the Village, contributions to the minister's annual stipend, and "age and honor," in that order. The 2d Precinct Parish was formally organized in 1739 and the Reverend Samuel Cooke of Cambridge was installed as minister.

By the year 1790, the Baptists, who had been agitating for religious autonomy since the first quarter of the 18th century, had finally broken with the First Parish Church and had established their own meeting house. Those remaining in the "mother church" were by no means in complete harmony with each other. The rigid Calvinism which had endured for almost two centuries in the precinct of West Cambridge was subject to re-examination by the congregation during the period of enlightenment in the 1820s. Upon the retirement of the Reverend Thaddeus Fiske on April 13, 1828, the sentiments for and against a more liberal pastorate were so intense that Fiske's sermon was dis- tributed in print; he was not allowed to deliver it personally. (Continued) 1 Arlington Past and Present, by Charles S. Parker, 1907.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Arlington Advocate. News articles, Feb. 24, 1883; Sept. 14, 1894; Aug. 23, 1895; Oct. 23, 1909; Aug. 24, 1923; Sept. 19, 1938. Barber, Rev. Laurence. "One Hundredth Anniversary of the Orthodox Congregational Church," (dedication pamphlet, June 7-14, 1942). (Continued) 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 22,430 square feet Quadrangle name - Lexington Quadrangle scale 7.5 Minute 1:25000 UT M References A 12 Zone L3 212 51710 Easting HLL L416/91771610 Northing ULIL B Zone LuL Easting LILLL Northing Lililu E F GLIJLLILLL LILILLLI HaLd uilu Verbal boundary description and justification The nomination includes the small lot presently and historically associated with the Church.. Please see attached assessor's map.

List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code N/A State code county code 11. Form Prepared By Virginia A. Fitch, Preservation Planner with Frederick W. Lyman, American name/title Landmarks, Inc. and Jeffery A. Luxenberg, City Planning and Urban Design Consultant organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date February 1983 street & number 294 Washington Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 12.

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), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to thee criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature State Historic Preservation Officer Valuue LWeslourk; title Massachusetts Historical Commission date 7/28/83 For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register Allores Entered in the Natlonal Register date 6/23/83 Keeper of the National Register Attest: Chief of Registration date NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Pleasant Street Congregational Continuation sheet Church, Arlington, Mass. Item number 8 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 Far NPS use anly robeived date entered Page 1 After examination by a committee appointed for the purpose of choosing a new minister, and which met at the hotel (Arlington House, now gone), Mr. Frederic H. Hedge was chosen minister.

Hedge, a Unitarian, was not popular with the Universalists, who decried his liberal views, eschewing those of Rev. Mr. Fiske. Hedge struggled to keep the congregation together without success. He resigned under pressure in 1835. Hedge's successor, Mr. David Damon, himself a Unitarian, could not heal the rift and in 1840 the conservative Universalists, after a bitter dispute as to which faction should stay and which should leave, departed to found their own parish. Changing their name from Universalists to Congregationalists, or Trinitarians, they acquired land opposite Academy Street on Massachusetts Avenue, and set about constructing their own church structure which survives to this day (in somewhat altered form) as the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Athanasius the Great (1841; NR proposed).

The fractionalization of the First Parish took an additional interesting twist in 1842 when a small group of disaffected Universalists, faithful to the extreme conservatism tho nano orthodox tongregesittonal ciauet of Thaddeus Fiske, brought the old preacher out of retirement, forming their own church. Meeting secretly at various homes throughout West Cambridge, this group, who usurped the name Orthodox Congregationalists, built their own church structure (now known as the Pleasant Street Congregational Church, the subject of this nomination) at the corner of Maple and Pleasant Streets in 1844, and installed Fiske as minister. Built on land once owned by Rev. Samuel Cooke (first minister of the First Parish Church), his granddaughter Miss Anna Bradshaw oversaw the establishment of this final splinter group from the original First Parish Church.

The Cooke House was willed to the Orthodox Congregationalists upon Miss Bradshaw's death in 1869. The house, however, was later relocated to another site on Pleasant Street where it survived until 1960 when it was torn down; Miss Bradshaw's land was subdivided for houselots to generate funds in support of the church and parsonage. Ihus, the four separate sub-units of the original First Parish Church co-existed in relative harmony for the duration of the 19th century, a period of relative colorless religious observance in the town. The Baptists went on to construct several buildings, the most recent of which was built in 1903 and occupies a site at the corner of Ramsdell The First Parish Church's fourth tabernacle on the site of the first church of 1804 was destroyed in a spectacular fire on Marsh 7, 1975 while it was being repainted for the American Bicentennial.

The other two church structures, both built during the early 1840s, are proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The Orthodox Congregational Church at Maple and Pleasant Streets, now known simply as the Congregational Church alone retains the descendants of its original congregation. The Pleasant Street Congregational Church was dedicated on November 29, 1844. The churchwright was Mr. Joseph Sanger. It is not known whether the design was also his. However, the use of Egyntian Revival detailing on a building predominately Federal (Continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Pleasant Street Congregational Continuation sheet Church, Arlington, Mass. Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.

10-31-84 For NPS uea only rocBiVed date entered Page 2 period in form and Greek Revival style in ornamentation is notable; the only other known extant example of a mid 19th century Egyptian Revival detailed church in the Boston area stands in Cambridge (see Historic and Archaeological Resources of the Boston Area, Massachusetts Historical Commission 1982, pp.157-158). Significant increases in the size of the congregation under a succession of strong ministers contributed to a steady growth of the church's influence. From the humble beginnings under Miss Anna Bradshaw,granddaughter of Arlington's famous First Parish preacher Samuel Cooke, the parish gained immediate acceptance from the conservative element in Christian doctrine. Enlargement of the church structure itself was carried out in 1856 under Rev. Daniel R. Cady, again in 1883 under Rev. Edward B.

Mason when the nave was the huter ser- carried oue tn 1856 lengthened by twenty-eight feet and major repairs carried out. More recently (1955) a large brick parish house wing was constructed under Rev. Mark Freeman Strickland. In recent years, the Pleasant Street Congregational Church has become known for its community orientation, sponsoring charity fairs, establishing the Rogers-Peirce Children's Center for inner-city minority youths, and promoting the hospice concept for care of the terminally ill. It continues a long tradition of community service and is a mainstay in the religious life of the Town of Arlington. NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Pleasant Street Congregational Continuation sheet Church, Arlington, Mass. Item number 9 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.

10-31-84 For NPS uee anly recaived date entered Page 1 Massachusetts Historical Commission. Historic and Archaeological Resources of the Boston Area. Boston, 1982. Orthodox Congregational Church. Constitution, By-Laws, Records of Arlington Orthodox Congregational Society 1842-1880, June 12, 1884. Parker, Charles S. Town of Arlington Past and Present 1637 to 1907. Arlington, MA: C. S. Parker & Sons, Publishers, 1907. Self Study Program History Committee Report. Lida Barber, Chairman. Arlington, MA: Pleasant Street Congregational Church. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTOFIC PLACES Unttod Statos Dopartmant of shho lateries National Park Service EVALUATION / RETURN SHI - Pleasant Street Congregational Church Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS MAY 231983 WorkingNo. Fod. Reg.

Date:2-7-84 Dato Due:_ 6/23/83 -1/7/83 resubmission Entered AC1ORi LACCEPT 6/234 National Begister- - RETURN- nomination by person or local government . REJECT- omner abjection Foderal Agency: - appeal Substantive Review: - sampla - request - appeal - NR decision Roviowor's comments: Recom. / Criteria - Reviewer. Discipline. Date. ,seo continuation sheet - tochnical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussad balow -Nomination returned for: 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification sogan adettter 4. Owner of Property Uee 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys M Ille property toon dosommned a 7. Description hertorsis -aack on __ unartared sarto th proa artalaad (ll taanal pogatadd summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Chees one - moved cmo. 8.

Significance Ported Aroae of Stgnd peetfe datee mant el sianieanso (i eno ad paottly bate er Arebites summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas Checked relating significance to the resource - context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Aoreago of nominated property - auedrengio nemo - UNST Raterences vartel baratary doacrtatton and hastthaattan 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification Tha eraluatad signiticance of thie property within the etate le: - netionsl -loca Metorte Preservetton OMficer eigneture 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed - Date - Phone: 202 272-3504 Comments for any Item may be continued on an attached sheet Pleasant St.

Congregational Church Arlington, MA PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION Community: Arlington, MA Photographer: Jeffery A. Luxenberg Date of Photo: 10/16/80 Location of Neg.: Arlington Historical Commission South-West Elevatior rigunc. Parish House Ädd.) PHOTO # 1 of 5. Pleasant Street Congregational Church Arlington, MA PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION Community: Arlington, MA Photographer: Jeffery A. Luxenberg Date of Photo: 10/16/80 Location of Negative: Arling- ton Historical Commission View: Front (South-East) Facade PHOTO #2 of 5. than cour than bless For merc his ti gene HYMNS 12 26 25|2 (397 REA ANCE OF- ME Pleasant St. Congregational Church Arlington, MA PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION Community: Arlington, MA Photographer: Jeffery A. Luxenberg Date of Photo: 10/16/80 Location of Neg.: Arlington Historical Commission View: Interior (looking South-East) PHOTO #3 of 5. Pleasant St.

Congregational Church Arlington, MA PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION Community: Arlington, MA Photographer: Jeffery A. Luxenberg Date of Photo: 10/16/80 Location of Neg.: Arlington Historical Commission View: North-West and North- East Elevations PHOTO #4 of 5. Pleasant St. Congregational Church Arlington, MA PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION Community: Arlington, MA Photographer: Jeffery A. Luxenberg Date of Photo: 10/16/80 Location of Negative: Arling ton Historical Commission View: Last tPerévatHouse- South- - PHOTO #5 of 5