Nomination for St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

34 OMB No. 10024-0018 NPS Form 10-900 (Oct. 1990) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form MAR 2 01CC3 NATIGHAL REGISTER This form is foruse in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested.If anitem does not apply to thepropertybeing documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a).

Use a typewriter; word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property historic name Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory other names/site number 2. Location street & number 64-66 Forrester Street N/A not for publication Salem city or town N/Al vicinity state Massachusetts code MA county Essex - code _009 zip code 01970_ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the NationalHistoric Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination -request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of HistoricPlaces and meetsthe procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets -does not meet the National Register criteria.

I recommend that this property be considered significant -nationally - statewide X locally. ([ See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Betay Fredhengue Biector, ton gultk B monongh, Ere. Khi, uHC Massachusetts Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer State of Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property , - meets - does not meet the National Register criteria. (C] See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of certifying official/Title State or Federal agency and bureau 4.National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that the property is: entered in the National Register. - See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register - See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Date Signature of the Keeper Date of Action St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rectory Nameof Property 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) private public-local public-State - public-Federal Category of Property (Check only one box) X building(s) district site structure - object Essex County, MA County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 2 - buildings sites structures _ objects 2 . Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.) N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) RELIGION: church; rectory Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) RELIGION: church; rectory 7.

Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) LATE 19th AND 20th CENTURY REVIVALS: Byzantine Revival, Classical Revival Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation. Stone walls Wood, Almminum roof Asphalt other Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) NPS Form 10-000-a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number - 7 Page - 1 7. DESCRIPTION Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory are located at the corner of Forrester and Webb streets in the densely settled residential neighborhood between the Salem Common and Collins Cove in Salem.

Sited on a small lot the church faces to the northwest and the rectory is located on the same parcel to the south. The church replaced an earlier chapel and was built in 1908 by the Salem architect William Devereaux Dennis; the rectory was constructed soon after. The distinctive form and ornament of the church, most notably its blue onion domes, make it an important and well-known local landmark. The area around the Church was developed in the third quarter of the 19th century as the marshly land before the cove was filled and platted for residential construction. At the western edge of the district are the Federal period mansions constructed around the Common as the Salem elite reconfigured it as Washington Square. This area was laid out with streets running from the east side of the Square to Webb Street, the new artery along the Cove.

Construction on this grid was most rapid during the 1880s, and speculative builders constructed a narrow range of single- and two-framily residences common in similar neighborhoods throughout New England. The houses on Boardman Street demonstrate the form that came to characterize middle- and working-class neighborhoods of the late 19th century. Primarily gable front in orientation, these houses have a three bay facade and side entry. In their interior plan they employ one of the several vairations of the side or corner passage plan that rose to pre-eminence at this time. During the early years of the 20th century, larger apartment blocks were added to fill in the lots along these streets. Set on small lots and close to the street, these houses created the inner residential neighborhoods of expanding turn-of-the-century cities and large towns. On its exerior St.

Nicholas Church takes a common western church form but is ornamented with distinctive ornament from the Orthodox tradition. The ornamental vocabulary of the church has been described as Byzantine Revival (Tolles 1983: 37), and reflects the Eastern European origins of the congregation. The building measures 39 by 62 feet built of frame construction on a stone foundation. Its primary single story gable block presents its gabled end to the street with a semi-projecting entry tower and side turrets on its facade and an apse in the rear. It is dominated by five bright blue domes located on the center entry tower, the two turrets and two on the roof ridge. The largest domes on the ridge sit on the octagonal arcaded drums; the smaller domes sit on square drums, those on the tower decorated with arcading and crosses. Each blue dome is topped by the distinctive three-barred cross.

On the facade, openings are arranged in (continued) NPS Form 10-900-e (8-86) OMBApprovei No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number _ 1 Page 2 two tiers and five bays on the main block, with a thrid tier in the tower. Large round- headed openings are located at the entry and above it in the center tower, with a round window or oculus above. The tower is flanked by narrow windows, flat in the first tier, round-headed in the second. Each tower is lit by a flat-headed window in the first tier, an oculus above. The lateral walls are lit by four evenly-spaced, round-headed windows. The facade wall is covered in gray matchboard with white trim while the side and rear walls have been covered in aluminum siding.

The unifying Orthodox symbol of the circle is repeated in the composition of the facade. The entry is covered by a semi-circular canopy supported by columns, a shape echoed in the round and round headed windows in the second tier of the facade as well as on the four long wall windows.Each opening is marked by thick, eared labels and stained glass. Round-headed arcading is employed in the central belfry and at the cornice line and tower belt courses. The use of three towers symbolized the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit; the use of five domes symbolized Christ and the four Evangelists. The interior of St. Nicholas bears a closer resemblance to Orthodox church design, including a nearly square meeting area and the traditional division into three functional subsections.

The small vestibule or narthex occupies the narrow front section of the building, marked on the exterior by the tower and turrets. Stairs to the basement hall and a lavatory are also located here. The majority of the main block encloses the nave, ornamented by wall and ceiling paintings, as well as the the stained glass of the windows. The nave originally had no pews, the tradition of orthodoxy being to stand. The focal point of the nave is the screen of seventeen icons, the iconastas, that divides the nave from the sanctuary. It is reached by four steps to the avon or pulpit, where the priest administers communion, leads the litanies, reads the gospel, and delivers sermons. Only the ordained clergy can pass through the royal doors in the iconastas to enter the sanctuary where communion is celebrated at the prestol or altar.

The basement of the church included space for lavatories and a kitchen, and a large meeting hall. The current appearance of the church reflects minor recent alterations and interior embellishments. First during World War II the pews were installed, in a configuration of slips on either side of a central aisle. During repair campaign of the 1960s, the lower hall was modernized, the siding on the lateral walls added, the stained glass installed, and the interior repainted. The windows were designed by Archpriest Vitaly Voshcullo, and executed from his watercolors by the Vetro Art Glass Company, formerly of Pittsburg PA. Most recently the ceiling was restored to reveal the original ornamental timbers and a painting of Christ Pantocrator, or Christ the Judge, the traditional treatment of the dome in an Orthodox Church, replacing a central medallion.

(continued) NPS Form 10-000e OMBApprovel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 7 Page Comparision of the current appearance to the architect's drawing also suggests that the canopy at the entry is not original. Several years after the construction of the Church, betwen 1911 and 1913, a rectory was added next door to provide housing for the pastor and his family. The two-and-a-half story hip block is a frame Colonial Revival design with bay windows, a side entry, and a two-story front porch. The building's ornament includes the treatment of the polygonal bay windows the front door and surround, and a very elaborate wide cornice of swags in the frieze.

This house is an example of the turn-of-the-century housetype called the Four Square, named for its cubical massing, as well as the common configuration of its first floor plan. This plan usually includes four nearly equal-sized rooms, including a large entry area, a parlor, a dining room, and a kitchen, with a similar plan of four bedrooms above. The rectory was aluminum sided in 1960 and its front porch extension over the garage dates to 1964. The rectory has been redecorated and its kitchen modernized but no significant changes have been made. Archaeological Description Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory are located in an area of documented prehistoric settlement. At least 34 prehistoric sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile) including one site which may extend into the church locale. The Boardman Street Site, 19-ES-375 is located less than 1,000 ft.

from the church. The boundaries of that site are unknown. Materials were collected from the site in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The physical characteristics of the area include locational characteristics, a well drained, relatively level land surface bordering Collins Cove near Beverly Harbor, which are favorable for Native American subsistence and settlement activities. In general, however, the potential for significant archaeological survivals, both prehistoric and historic, is low because the church is built in a densely occupied residential area and because the church and rectory, each of which has a basement, covers a major portion of the lot. (end) NPS Form10-000 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvai No. 1024-0018 St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number _ Page - 1 8. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Statement of significance

Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church forms a distinctive cultural monument within the city of Salem. The church is known as a landmark for its blue domes and is closely associated with several of the city's most important immigrant groups. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places meeting criteria A and C at the local level. Although St. Nicholas Church is a property owned by religious institution and used for religious purposes, it derives its primary significance from both its architectural and its historic importance within the historic landscape of the City of Salem. It retains integrity of location, setting, materials, design, workmanship, feeling, and association. St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church was built in 1908 to house a congregation for an expanding population of the Eastern European immigrants of the Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic or Uniate faiths. Of the Orthodox churches, only the Russian Orthodox under the Moscow Patriarch had established a church organization and hierarchy within the United States, dating to 1794 in Alaska. Orthodox immigrants from many national and ethnic communities thus turned to the Russian church and those of Eastern European origins were united by the Old Church Slavonic language of the services. In addition, some had been members of Eastern Right Catholic or Uniate Churches. Sharing some theological and liturgical traditions with the Orthodox, but recognizing the leadership of the Pope in Rome, priests of this tradition were rare in the U.S.

and Roman Catholic religious were not always sensitive or sympathetic to their needs. When this group was chartered in 1901 it apparently emphasized the Catholic tradition, as some early records use Latin. The congregation is listed as simply the Russian Catholic Church in the city directories of 1903 and 1904, as St. Nicholas Russian Catholic Church between 1905 and 1907, and in the Essex County Deeds as St. Nicholas Russian Greek Catholic Church; it appeared on a 1906 atlas of the city it is marked "Catholic Church." Once this building was constructed it was consistently known as a Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Revolution of 1917 caused significant divisions among followers of the Moscow patriarch abroad, but this church joined the majority of churches in the United States and assumed a position of loyal autonomy.

In 1970 the independence of the American churches was acknowledged as the the autocephalic Orthodox Church in America. One of the earliest Russian Churches in New England, this congregation was soon joined by other orthodox in Boston, Lowell, Lynn, and Springfield in Massachusetts. The parcel on which the church stands was acquired in two parcels in 1901 and 1904 from Albert Smrecznszki. Smrecznszki had purchased them as part of a single larger lot (continued) NPS Form 10-000e (8-06) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number - Page. 2 from Samuel W. Berry and Martyha L. C. Berry earlier the same year.

The Berrys claim to the land dated to a probate division of 1882 in which this parcel was a part of the property assigned to Elizabeth Berry. On the first parcel purchasedthenewly formed church constructed a small church, mentioned in a deed and drawn on the atlas of 1906. This building was fitted for use as the rectory when the corner portion of the parcel was added and the new larger church constructed. The earlier church was removed when the rectory was constructed before 1911. The architect of the church, William Devereaux Dennis, was born in Salem in 1847. The son of Devereaux Dennis a Salem housewright, he grew up on Dearborn Street in north Salem. He first appears in the Salem Directories in 1866 and subsequently lived nearby on Buffam Street with his own family. Dennis's office was located at 243 1/2 Essex Street and later at 210 Essex Street.

Of the works currently known to be by Dennis, his first high profile commission was the 1877-1878 remodleing of the First Universalist Church; his Victorian remodelings were reversed in a restoration by R. Clipson Sturgis in 1924 and only the pavilions and the chapel remain. In 1884-1885 Dennis was unsuccessful in his bid to remodel the Salem Jail, and competition won by Rufus Sargent. In 1885 he remodeled the John Tucker Deland House for use as the library and offices of the Essex Institute at 34 Church Street. He is also known to have designed commercial buildings at 242 Essex Street in 1876 and at 1-3-5 Central Street in 1886. The commission for St. Nicholas Church came late in his career, and he died five years later at the age of sixty-six.

His plans for the church are on file at the Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts among the Public Safety/Building Inspection Department files. It is not known whether Dennis consulted with members of the congregation about the design, or the nature of his research into eastern European and European Russian architecture when he undertook the design. While Dennis is unlikely to have had extensive knowledge of the home parish buildings of the church members, the design put forward under his name bears some common features of Eastern European Orthodox church buildings, as well as of North American examples and adaptations of those forms. Several basic characteristics of Orthodox church design provide points of contrast to Roman Catholic building as well as the meetinghouse or auditory church tradition that grew out of the Reformation.

While the Orthodox Church also has the basilica as its ancestral form, the eastern church followed a course far removed from the Gothic modes emphasizing verticality and elongation. The eastern churches were more drawn to centralizing plans, of Greek crosses, crosses in squares, and occasionally mulit-sided and nearly round buildings, and to the dome and domed tower. (continued) NPS Form 10-900 Approvei No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number - Page -3 The large masonry churches of towns and cities were often square or nearly square, with barrel-shaped gables in the roof and topped by multiple onion-domed towers.

Even as the influence of western architecture increased after the 17th century, builders retained many of the essential features, and only a small number of Latin cross or nave plan churches were constructed. By contrast, the rural regions of Russia, Ukraine, and Byelorus developed and maintained a strong tradition of log and shingle churches, sharing many of these featues rendered in wood in the largest buildings. The best examination of the adaptation of these Eastern European traditions to North American immigration is the study of Ukrainian Churches built in Manitoba Canada (Rostoff, Yereniuk, and Hryniuk 1990). In addition to a survey of local Ukrainian forms that were repeated in that province, the authors catalogue adaptation of these forms to the new environment.

Their typology included, in addition to the various Eclectic designs, categories for two-towered, three-towered, and cruciform churches. The first group consists of gable-roofed meeting halls with onion-domed twin towers on their facades. In the second group are churches of similar design and the addition of a third central tower, often sited on the ridge. The last group included the cross-gabled churches often ornamented by domed crossings as well as facade towers. Except for the largest of these churches, most are quite plain, and the elements of the design that relate most closely to the ornament of tradition churches is the extensive use of the half-round arch at openings and, of course, the onion domes. St. Nicholas Church comapres favorably, in terms of elaboration of surfaces and ornament, with the urban examples of that focus of Ukrainian settlement.

The resemblance of Saint Nicholas Church to the pictured examples of the three-towered church is strong, testimony to the strength of traditional values among this group even when their numbers were small comapred to other parts of North America, and even when they relied on the efforts of an American architect to execute the design for their church. St. Nicholas Church's earliest members were Eastern European immigrants, part of the larger movement of displaced persons who migrated due to crowding and declining agriculture. Those immigrants came to Salem primarily from the Byelorussian and Ukranian portions of the Tsarist Russian and the Austro-Hungarian empires.

While their national borders have changed and been reinterpreted over time, the focus of these states is in the Dnieper River drainage, a major north-south flowing river through the Eastern European land mass that drains into the Black Sea on the south. White Russia or Byelorussia as the area was know is located to the north, bordering on the Baltic states on the north, Russia on the east, and Poland on the west. The Ukraine is located to the south, sharing its eastern border with the Caucaucus area of Russia, and with Moldova, Roumania, Hungary, the former Czechoslovakia, and Poland to the west. (continued) NPS Form 10-000- OMB ApprovelNo. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number Page Now known as the independent republics of Ukraine and Byelorus, these areas were long caught between expanding and contracting empires on their eastern and western borders, and were repeatedly and differently divided by more powerful neighbors throughout modern times. Byelorus was successively controlled by the Lithuanians, the Poles, the Tsarist Russian empire, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and for brief periods by the eastward expanding Central Powers and later the Nazis. Cultural nationalism within Byelorus rose in modern times first among the intellectuals with increased interest in folklife, and nationalists movements based in both socialism and more conservative Catholic circles.

The Ukraine rose to regional importance at the end of the last millenium, a powerful kingdom with its capital in Kiev. Attacked by the - Mongolians from the east, the area was soon divided among its rising neighbors, controlled by the Poles and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the west and the Russians in the east and the north. A brief period of independence after the Russian Revolution, followed by occupation by Nazi Germany. The rise of the Cossacks was responsible for the early development of a nationalist identification for Ukrainians. During these periods of changing authority individuals came to adopt either a Polish or a Russian cultural orientation, or a Catholic or an Orthodox religious orientation. Among the peasants in both countries, identification remained predominantly local or regional rather than national.

It is thus not surprising that students of immigration from these areas emphasize that, prior to World War I, immigrants identified themselves with their controlling empire, their home locality, or their religion, rather than these ephemeral nation states (Thernstrom et al. 1980: passim). Immigration from these areas to the United States and Canada occured in three waves. The first, dating from 1880 to 1914, was the result of over-population and a resulting lack of available land in these areas. Subsequently large number came after World War I and the Russian Revolution and the reconfiguring of Eastern European borders, and after World War II, when the Nazi assault resulted in many displaced persons.

Particularly during the first phase, these groups were identified, by outsiders and often by themselves, by national origin and thus among the larger population of Russians, Austrains, and Poles. They first appear in Salem as 171 Austrians in the 1895 state census, and in large numbers in the 1905 state census, when they are counted among the 491 Russians and 654 Poles. Many of these newcomers were Roman Catholic and the rise of a Polish national parish in Salem dates to the 1900s, just at the time this church was organizing. Research on these Salem ethnic groups has not been extensive. Polish neighborhoods have been located in this neighborhood west of Webb Street, as well as along Derby Street to the south. Many of the Eastern Europeans found employment as leather workers and at the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Company.

The Great Fire of 1914 did much to disperse this group as the leather industry relocated, but many loyal (continued) NPS Form 10-900s OMB Approvei No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 8, 9 Page 5, 1 parishioners continued to attend to St. Nicholas from other neighborhoods and nearby towns. Dislocation and migration caused by World War I and the Russian Revolutions added significantly to the Salem community and by 1930 the Russians numbered 858 and the Poles 1,894. With larger numbers came to formation of institutions reflecting the true diversity within the community and the Ukrainian Catholic St. John's Church, on nearby Bridge Street, was organized in 1930.

Immigration after World War II added particularly to the numbers of professional and skilled workers. Today the congregation includes a broad spectrum of the Salem community, welcoming worshipers from many ethnic groups while celebrating Slavic cultural traditions. (end) 9.

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Borkowski, Elizabeth, "One Houndred Fifteen Years in Salem," in Adele Younis, "Graduate Immigration Seminar: A Bicentennial Study," Salem State College, 1976-1977. Typescript of ten volumes on file at the Essex Institute. Brumfield, William Craft. Gold in Azure: OneThousand years of Russian Architecture. Boston: David Godine, Publisher, Inc. 1983. Essex County Deeds: 1088:201; 1644:175; 1645:201, 202; 1656:353, 1658:66; 1741:320. Faensen, Hubert and Vladimir Ivanov. Early Russian Architecture. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972. Halich, Wasyl. Ukranians in the United States. Chicago: The University of Illinois Press, 1937. Kuropas, Myron B. The Ukranian Americans: Roots and Aspirations, 1884-1954. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. Mead, Frank S. Handbook of Denominations in the United States. 7th edition. Nashville: Abbington Press, 1980.

NPS Form 10-900e OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 9, 10 Page _2. 1 Rostoff, Basil, Roman Yereniuk, and Stella Hryniuk. Monuments to Faith: Ukranian Churches in Manitoba. Maintoba: The University of Manitoba Press, 1990. Salem City Directories, 1857-1942. Sanborn Fire Insurance Company. Atlas of the City of Salem. Multiple editions, including 1906 and updates. Thernstrom, Stephen, Ann Orlov, and Oscar Handlin. The Harvard University Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1980. Tolles, Bryant F. Architecture in Salem: An Illustrated Guide. Salem: Essex Institute, Vakar, Nicholas P. Belorussia: The Making of a Nation.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1956. Voshchullo, Vitaly, Archpriest of St. Nicholas. Pamphlets on Church and personal communications. Walker, George H. & Co. Atlas of the City of Salem, Massachusetts. Boston: George H. Walker & Co., 1911. (end) 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Boundary Description: The boundaries of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory are illustrated on the attached City of Salem Assessors Map 41, lot 219. Boundary Justification: The nominated property includes the entire parcel historically associated with Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory. (end) Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church & 64-66 Forrester Street Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts ct ory Salem Assessors Map #41, Lot #219 Revised: 1991 Scale: 1" = 100' 2253 LEHANSI SQUARE 54 (1. OI8 O 197 FORRESTER 71 65 761 DLLD 2100 :80 5> 52 22 0L95 211 31 19-21 THO E RRISH 2 19 BECOGE Y3 ll9 33 278.

7 18 1937 5> 212 2/3 16/991 10 8-R0 EET + 1269 g1Z 350 1703 115155 lla 2107 0 EN G H S" S:52 08I2ubi UOZE L2E SE^D 9L1 * 6L1 5.0tb 4Za0 801 T112% 4426 4948 WAY 928?% 36 BOARDMAN.OST. So 0G9b 922 9452 S OOLE, 0029 82-87 3409-05 [S92E s00s DOSE L0zzA 7600 2/9 5-09 3370 216 2633 217% 5-0b 0:5b AITA 173 !!! 09/'01 OLI * 07-95 142 80291 123 Y3MES 890900013000090000000 ---- .-_- u-- 0 - M42-L2 50 ESSEX ST. 000: - 85-5 SZETELA 62 2940 6$65 231 2LLE 6035, 274/ 1.3 AC 243 21,903 244 11100 1898 236 19/83 245 25,800 233 8390 =x- 102 234 30005 100-5 PRUSAK SQUARE 305 30-5 20 RI, 250 90v 35-5 46 2517 252 391264/ 32 69T .36 0802 891 2892 StEA L81 8568 E boo $1:61 568L 2821 E 881 00 /9 <1y 183 1866~ SEbS OSLE: STACK 237 11908 70-5 5A 3 - 3R 130-S 16 12 2ó 10/½ 106 15g 9522 189 0532 15g 1E9E 31 58 U 13 =2911 92E/ 2, 115 15 091 00%1 dVd St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rectory Name of Property Essex County, MA County and State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property 8,100 square feet UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) 1 19 Zone 3 4 5 11 60 Easting 47 09650 Northing 3 Zone Easting Northing 2 4 11 See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title Claire W.

Dempsey, Preservation Consultant with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission _ date March 1993 street & number 80 Boylston Street - telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: state MA _ zip code 02116 Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A Sketchmap for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.

Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Completethis item at the request of SHPO or FPO.) name Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church street & number 64 Forrester Street - telephone city or town Salem State MA _ zip code 01970 Paperwork Reduction ActStatement: This informationis being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127,Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rectory Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) X A Property is associated with events that have made asignificant contribution to the broadpatterns of our history.

B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type,period,or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. - D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: XA owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. - B removed from its original location. - C a birthplace or grave. - D a cemetery. -E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property. - G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years.

Essex County, MA County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) ARCHITECTURE ETHNIC HERITAGE, EURASIAN RELIGION SOCIAL HISTORY Period of Significance 1908 - 1943 Significant Dates N/A Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder Dennis, William Devereaux Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) 9.

Major Bibliographical References Bibilography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency previously determined eligible by the National X Local government Register University designated a National Historic Landmark - Other recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: # Massachusetts Historical Commission recorded by Historic American Engineering Salem Planning Department Record # UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Essex DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 3/29/93 4/29/93 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 4/13/93 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 5/13/93 REFERENCE NUMBER: 93000346 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N N N COMMENT WAIVER: N -ACCEPT _RETURN REJECT- 4/26/93 DATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: Riturnen at pequet f SHPD Pleae have stPO sige nomenitio when rsutmitted RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER_ DISCIPLINE_ DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N LN 1084 CLASSIFICATION _count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic _current DESCRIPTION _architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) 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 BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA _acreage _UTMs -verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps USGS maps _photographs _presentation OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to signed dByur - Phone 202 34395T3 Date 4/28/93 346 OMB No.

10024-0018 NPS Form 10-900 (Oct. 1990) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service RECEIVED National Register of Historic Places Registration Form JAN 2 5 1994 NATIONAL REGISTER This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual: properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the "not applicable." For functions irchitectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additiona entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items 1. Name of Property historic name Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory other names/site number 2.

Location street & number 64-66 Forrester Street N/A not for publication city or town Salem N/A vicinity state Massachusetts code MA - county Essex code 009 zip code 01970 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination -request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets - does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant L nationaily - statewide locally. (O See continuation sheet for additional comments.) nditz B. Mud anoug aghature of certifying official/Title Judith B.

McDonougDate 1 19 9k cutive Directori Massachusetts Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer State of Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property - meets - does not meet the National Register criteria. (- See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Date Signature of certifying official/Title State or Federal agency and bureau 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby gertity that the property is: Mentered in the National Register. L See continuation sheet. - determined eligible for the National Register - See continuation sheet. O doNattonad frogialiegible for the J removed from the Nationa Register - other, (explain:) M signature of the Keeper tetroma toetstor supu. dapsliy Date of Action 2/18/94 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rectory Name of Property 5.

Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) [X private - public-local - public-State - public-Federal Category of Property (Check only one box) X building(s) - district - site - structure - object. : Essex County, MA County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 2 buildings sites structures objects Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register Vame of related multiple property listin Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) RELIGION: church; rectory Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) RELIGION: church; rectory 7.

Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) LATE 19th AND 20th CENTURY REVIVALS: Byzantine Revival, Classical Revival Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation - Stone walls Wood, Almminum roof other Asphalt Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) 1038137 NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number Page . 7. DESCRIPTION Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory are located at the corner of Forrester and Webb streets in the densely settled residential neighborhood between the Salem Common and Collins Cove in Salem.

Sited on a small lot the church faces to the northwest and the rectory is located on the same parcel to the south. The church replaced an earlier chapel and was built in 1908 by the Salem architect William Devereaux Dennis; the rectory was constructed soon after. The distinctive form and ornament of the church, most notably its blue onion domes, make it an important and well-known local landmark. The area around the Church was developed in the third quarter of the 19th century as the marshly land before the cove was filled and platted for residential construction. At the western edge of the district are the Federal period mansions constructed around the Common as the Salem elite reconfigured it as Washington Square. This area was laid out with streets running from the east side of the Square to Webb Street, the new artery along the Cove.

Construction on this grid was most rapid during the 1880s, and speculative builders constructed a narrow range of single- and two-framily residences common in similar neighborhoods throughout New England. The houses on Boardman Street demonstrate the form that came to characterize middle- and working-class neighborhoods of the late 19th century. Primarily gable front in orientation, these houses have a three bay facade and side entry. In their interior plan they employ one of the several vairations of the side or corner passage plan that rose to pre-eminence at this time. During the early years of the 20th century, larger apartment blocks were added to fill in the lots along these streets. Set on small lots and close to the street, these houses created the inner residential neighborhoods of expanding turn-of-the-century cities and large towns. On its exerior St.

Nicholas Church takes a common western church form but is ornamented with distinctive ornament from the Orthodox tradition. The ornamental vocabulary of the church has been described as Byzantine Revival (Tolles 1983: 37), and reflects the Eastern European origins of the congregation. The building measures 39 by 62 feet built of frame construction on a stone foundation. Its primary single story gable block presents its gabled end to the street with a semi-projecting entry tower and side turrets on its facade and an apse in the rear. It is dominated by five bright blue domes located on the center entry tower, the two turrets and two on the roof ridge. The largest domes on the ridge sit on the octagonal arcaded drums; the smaller domes sit on square drums, those on the tower decorated with arcading and crosses. Each blue dome is topped by the distinctive three-barred cross.

On the facade, openings are arranged in (continued) NPS Form 10-000-s (8-86) OMBApprovalNo.1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number - Page 2 two tiers and five bays on the main block, with a thrid tier in the tower. Large round- headed openings are located at the entry and above it in the center tower, with a round window or oculus above. The tower is flanked by narrow windows, flat in the first tier, round-headed in the second. Each tower is lit by a flat-headed window in the first tier, an oculus above. The lateral walls are lit by four evenly-spaced, round-headed windows. The facade wall is covered in gray matchboard with white trim while the side and rear walls have been covered in aluminum siding.

The unifying Orthodox symbol of the circle is repeated in the composition of the facade. The entry is covered by a semi-circular canopy supported by columns, a shape echoed in the round and round headed windows in the second tier of the facade as well as on the four long wall windows. Each opening is marked by thick, eared labels and stained glass. Round-headed arcading is employed in the central belfry and at the cornice line and tower belt courses. The use of three towers symbolized the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit; the use of five domes symbolized Christ and the four Evangelists. The interior of St. Nicholas bears a closer resemblance to Orthodox church design, including a nearly square meeting area and the traditional division into three functional subsections.

The small vestibule or narthex occupies the narrow front section of the building, marked on the exterior by the tower and turrets. Stairs to the basement hall and a lavatory are also located here. The majority of the main block encloses the nave, ornamented by wall and ceiling paintings, as well as the the stained glass of the windows. The nave originally had no pews, the tradition of orthodoxy being to stand. The focal point of the nave is the screen of seventeen icons, the iconastas, that divides the nave from the sanctuary. It is reached by four steps to the avon or pulpit, where the priest administers communion, leads the litanies, reads the gospel, and delivers sermons. Only the ordained clergy can pass through the royal doors in the iconastas to enter the sanctuary where communion is celebrated at the prestol or altar.

The basement of the church included space for lavatories and a kitchen, and a large meeting hall. The current appearance of the church reflects minor recent alterations and interior embellishments. First during World War II the pews were installed, in a configuration of slips on either side of a central aisle. During repair campaign of the 1960s, the lower hall was modernized, the siding on the lateral walls added, the stained glass installed, and the interior repainted. The windows were designed by Archpriest Vitaly Voshcullo, and executed from his watercolors by the Vetro Art Glass Company, formerly of Pittsburg PA. Most recently the ceiling was restored to reveal the original ornamental timbers and a painting of Christ Pantocrator, or. Christ the Judge, the traditional treatment of the dome in an Orthodox Church, replacing a central medallion.

(continued) NPS Form 10-000 OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number - Page Comparision of the current appearance to the architect's drawing also suggests that the canopy at the entry is not original. Several years after the construction of the Church, betwen 1911 and 1913, a rectory was added next door to provide housing for the pastor and his family. The two-and-a-half story hip block is a frame Colonial Revival design with bay windows, a side entry, and a two-story front porch. The building's ornament includes the treatment of the polygonal bay windows the front door and surround, and a very elaborate wide cornice of swags in the frieze.

This house is an example of the turn-of-the-century housetype called the Four Square, named for its cubical massing, as well as the common configuration of its first floor plan. This plan usually includes four nearly equal-sized rooms, including a large entry area, a parlor, a dining room, and a kitchen, with a similar plan of four bedrooms above. The rectory was aluminum sided in 1960 and its front porch extension over the garage dates to 1964. The rectory has been redecorated and its kitchen modernized but no significant changes have been made. Archaeological Description Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory are located in an area of documented prehistoric settlement. At least 34 prehistoric sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile) including one site which may extend into the church locale. The Boardman Street Site, 19-ES-375 is located less than 1,000 ft.

from the church. The boundaries of that site are unknown. Materials were collected from the site in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The physical characteristics of the area include locational characteristics, a well drained, relatively level land surface bordering Collins Cove near Beverly Harbor, which are favorable for Native American subsistence and settlement activities. In general, however, the potential for significant archaeological survivals, both prehistoric and historic, is low because the church is built in a densely occupied residential area and because the church and rectory, each of which has a basement, covers a major portion of the lot. (end) St. Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rectory Name of Property 8.

Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) X A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. - B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. - D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: [X A owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes.

- B removed from its original location. - C a birthplace or grave. - D a cemetery. - E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property. - G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Essex County, MA County and State Areas of Significance Enter categories from instructions ARCHITECTURE ETHNIC HERITAGE, EURASIAN RELIGION SOCIAL HISTORY Period of Significance 1908 - 1943 Significant Dates N/A Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder Dennis, William Devereaux Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) 9.

Major Bibliographical References Bibilography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: L preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency J previously listed in the National Register L Federal agency JJ previously determined eligible by the National X Local government Register - University J designated a National Historic Landmark - Other J recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: # Massachusetts Historical Commission L recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Salem Planning Department Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rectory Name of Property Essex County, MA County and State 10. Geographical Data 8,100 sq. ft.

(less than 1 acre) Acreage of Property UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) 11,9 Zone 3451,6,0 Easting 4709650 Northing 3 Zone Easting Northing 2 4 L See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title Claire W. Dempsey, Preservation Consultant with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC Massachusetts Historical Commission organization - date January 1994 street & number 80 Boylston Street Boston - telephone state- MA (617) 727-8470 city or town Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: - zip code 02116 Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.

A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property. Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.) name - Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church street & number _ 64 Forrester Street - telephone city or town Salem state MA zip code 01970 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Pr. 5 (1024-0018),V ington, DC 20503. NPS Form 10-900e OMB Approvel No.1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) 8 1 Massachusetts Section number Page 8.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church forms a distinctive cultural monument within the city of Salem. The church is known as a landmark for its blue domes and is closely associated with several of the city's most important immigrant groups. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places meeting criteria A and C at the local level. Although St. Nicholas Church is a property owned by religious institution and used for religious purposes, it derives its primary significance from both its architectural and its historic importance within the historic landscape of the City of Salem. It retains integrity of location, setting, materials, design, workmanship, feeling, and association. St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church was built in 1908 to house a congregation for an expanding population of the Eastern European immigrants of the Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic or Uniate faiths. Of the Orthodox churches, only the Russian Orthodox under the Moscow Patriarch had established a church organization and hierarchy within the United States, dating to 1794 in Alaska. Orthodox immigrants from many national and ethnic communities thus turned to the Russian church and those of Eastern European origins were united by the Old Church Slavonic language of the services. In addition, some had been members of Eastern Right Catholic or Uniate Churches. Sharing some theological and liturgical traditions with the Orthodox, but recognizing the leadership of the Pope in Rome, priests of this tradition were rare in the U.S.

and Roman Catholic religious were not always sensitive or sympathetic to their needs. When this group was chartered in 1901 it apparently emphasized the Catholic tradition, as some early records use Latin. The congregation is listed as simply the Russian Catholic Church in the city directories of 1903 and 1904, as St. Nicholas Russian Catholic Church between 1905 and 1907, and in the Essex County Deeds as St. Nicholas Russian Greek Catholic Church; it appeared on a 1906 atlas of the city it is marked "Catholic Church." Once this building was constructed it was consistently known as a Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Revolution of 1917 caused significant divisions among followers of the Moscow patriarch abroad, but this church joined the majority of churches in the United States and assumed a position of loyal autonomy.

In 1970 the independence of the American churches was acknowledged as the the autocephalic Orthodox Church in America. One of the earliest Russian Churches in New England, this congregation was soon joined by other orthodox in Boston, Lowell, Lynn, and Springfield in Massachusetts. The parcel on which the church stands was acquired in two parcels in 1901 and 1904 from Albert Smrecznszki. Smrecznszki had purchased them as part of a single larger lot (continued) NPS Form 10-000- (8-86) OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 8 Page 2 from Samuel W. Berry and Martyha L. C. Berry earlier the same year.

The Berrys claim to the land dated to a probate division of 1882 in which this parcel was a part of the property assigned to Elizabeth Berry. On the first parcel purchased the newly formed church constructed a small church, mentioned in a deed and drawn on the atlas of 1906. This building was fitted for use as the rectory when the corner portion of the parcel was added and the new larger church constructed. The earlier church was removed when the rectory was constructed before 1911. The architect of the church, William Devereaux Dennis, was born in Salem in 1847. The son of Devereaux Dennis a Salem housewright, he grew up on Dearborn Street in north Salem. He first appears in the Salem Directories in 1866 and subsequently lived nearby on Buffam Street with his own family. Dennis's office was located at 243 1/2 Essex Street and later at 210 Essex Street.

Of the works currently known to be by Dennis, his first high profile commission was the 1877-1878 remodleing of the First Universalist Church; his Victorian remodelings were reversed in a restoration by R. Clipson Sturgis in 1924 and only the pavilions and the chapel remain. In 1884-1885 Dennis was unsuccessful in his bid to remodel the Salem Jail, and competition won by Rufus Sargent. In 1885 he remodeled the John Tucker Deland House for use as the library and offices of the Essex Institute at 34 Church Street. He is also known to have designed commercial buildings at 242 Essex Street in 1876 and at 1-3-5 Central Street in 1886. The commission for St. Nicholas Church came late in his career, and he died five years later at the age of sixty-six.

His plans for the church are on file at the Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts among the Public Safety/Building Inspection Department files. It is not known whether Dennis consulted with members of the congregation about the design, or the nature of his research into eastern European and European Russian architecture when he undertook the design. While Dennis is unlikely to have had extensive knowledge of the home parish buildings of the church members, the design put forward under his name bears some common features of Eastern European Orthodox church buildings, as well as of North American examples and adaptations of those forms. Several basic characteristics of Orthodox church design provide points of contrast to Roman Catholic building as well as the meetinghouse or auditory church tradition that grew out of the Reformation.

While the Orthodox Church also has the basilica as its ancestral form, the eastern church followed a course far removed from the Gothic modes emphasizing verticality and elongation. The eastern churches were more drawn to centralizing plans, of Greek crosses, crosses in squares, and occasionally mulit-sided and nearly round buildings, and to the dome and domed tower. (continued) NPS Form 10-000-e OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number _ 8 Page The large masonry churches of towns and cities were often square or nearly square, with barrel-shaped gables in the roof and topped by multiple onion-domed towers.

Even as the influence of western architecture increased after the 17th century, builders retained many of the essential features, and only a small number of Latin cross or nave plan churches were constructed. By contrast, the rural regions of Russia, Ukraine, and Byelorus developed and maintained a strong tradition of log and shingle churches, sharing many of these featues rendered in wood in the largest buildings. The best examination of the adaptation of these Eastern European traditions to North American immigration is the study of Ukrainian Churches built in Manitoba Canada (Rostoff, Yereniuk, and Hryniuk 1990). In addition to a survey of local Ukrainian forms that were repeated in that province, the authors catalogue adaptation of these forms to the new environment.

Their typology included, in addition to the various Eclectic designs, categories for two-towered, three-towered, and cruciform churches. The first group consists of gable-roofed meeting halls with onion-domed twin towers on their facades. In the second group are churches of similar design and the addition of a third central tower, often sited on the ridge. The last group included the cross-gabled churches often ornamented by domed crossings as well as facade towers. Except for the largest of these churches, most are quite plain, and the elements of the design that relate most closely to the ornament of tradition churches is the extensive use of the half-round arch at openings and, of course, the onion domes. St. Nicholas Church comapres favorably, in terms of elaboration of surfaces and ornament, with the urban examples of that focus of Ukrainian settlement.

The resemblance of Saint Nicholas Church to the pictured examples of the three-towered church is strong, testimony to the strength of traditional values among this group even when their numbers were small comapred to other parts of North America, and even when they relied on the efforts of an American architect to execute the design for their church. St. Nicholas Church's earliest members were Eastern European immigrants, part of the larger movement of displaced persons who migrated due to crowding and declining agriculture. Those immigrants came to Salem primarily from the Byelorussian and Ukranian portions of the Tsarist Russian and the Austro-Hungarian empires.

While their national borders have changed and been reinterpreted over time, the focus of these states is in the Dnieper River drainage, a major north-south flowing river through the Eastern European land mass that drains into the Black Sea on the south. White Russia or Byelorussia as the area was know is located to the north, bordering on the Baltic states on the north, Russia on the east, and Poland on the west. The Ukraine is located to the south, sharing its eastern border with the Caucaucus area of Russia, and with Moldova, Roumania, Hungary, the former Czechoslovakia, and Poland to the west. (continued) NPS Form10-000a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 8 Page 4 Now known as the independent republics of Ukraine and Byelorus, these areas were long caught between expanding and contracting empires on their eastern and western borders, and were repeatedly and differently divided by more powerful neighbors throughout modern times. Byelorus was successively controlled by the Lithuanians, the Poles, the Tsarist Russian empire, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and for brief periods by the eastward expanding Central Powers and later the Nazis. Cultural nationalism within Byelorus rose in modern times first among the intellectuals with increased interest in folklife, and nationalists movements based in both socialism and more conservative Catholic circles.

The Ukraine rose to regional importance at the end of the last millenium, a powerful kingdom with its capital in Kiev. Attacked by the Mongolians from the east, the area was soon divided among its rising neighbors, controlled by the Poles and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the west and the Russians in the east and the north. A brief period of independence after the Russian Revolution, followed by occupation by Nazi Germany. The rise of the Cossacks was responsible for the early development of a nationalist identification for Ukrainians. During these periods of changing authority individuals came to adopt either a Polish or a Russian cultural orientation, or a Catholic or an Orthodox religious orientation. Among the peasants in both countries, identification remained predominantly local or regional rather than national.

It is thus not surprising that students of immigration from these areas emphasize that, prior to World War I, immigrants identified themselves with their controlling empire, their home locality, or their religion, rather than these ephemeral nation states (Thernstrom et al. 1980: passim). Immigration from these areas to the United States and Canada occured in three waves. The first, dating from 1880 to 1914, was the result of over-population and a resulting lack of available land in these areas. Subsequently large number came after World War 1 and the Russian Revolution and the reconfiguring of Eastern European borders, and after World War II, when the Nazi assault resulted in many displaced persons.

Particularly during the first phase, these groups were identified, by outsiders and often by themselves, by national origin and thus among the larger population of Russians, Austrains, and Poles. They first appear in Salem as 171 Austrians in the 1895 state census, and in large numbers in the 1905 state census, when they are counted among the 491 Russians and 654 Poles. Many of these newcomers were Roman Catholic and the rise of a Polish national parish in Salem dates to the 1900s, just at the time this church was organizing. Research on these Salem ethnic groups has not been extensive. Polish neighborhoods have been located in this neighborhood west of Webb Street, as well as along Derby Street to the south. Many of the Eastern Europeans found employment as leather workers and at the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Company.

The Great Fire of 1914 did much to disperse this group as the leather industry relocated, but many loyal (continued) NPS Form 10-000c OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 8, 9 Page 5, 1 parishioners continued to attend to St. Nicholas from other neighborhoods and nearby towns. Dislocation and migration caused by World War I and the Russian Revolutions added significantly to the Salem community and by 1930 the Russians numbered 858 and the Poles 1,894. With larger numbers came to formation of institutions reflecting the true diversity within the community and the Ukrainian Catholic St. John's Church, on nearby Bridge Street, was organized in 1930.

Immigration after World War Il added particularly to the numbers of professional and skilled workers. Today the congregation includes a broad spectrum of the Salem community, welcoming worshipers from many ethnic groups while celebrating Slavic cultural traditions. (end) 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Borkowski, Elizabeth, "One Houndred Fifteen Years in Salem," in Adele Younis, "Graduate Immigration Seminar: A Bicentennial Study," Salem State College, 1976-1977. Typescript of ten volumes on file at the Essex Institute. Brumfield, William Craft. Gold in Azure: One Thousand years of Russian Architecture. Boston: David Godine, Publisher, Inc. 1983. Essex County Deeds: 1088:201; 1644:175; 1645:201, 202; 1656:353, 1658:66; 1741:320. Faensen, Hubert and Vladimir Ivanov. Early Russian Architecture. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972. Halich, Wasyl. Ukranians in the United States.

Chicago: The University of Illinois Press, 1937. Kuropas, Myron B. The Ukranian Americans: Roots and Aspirations, 1884-1954. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. Mead, Frank S. Handbook of Denominations in the United States. 7th edition. Nashville: Abbington Press, 1980. NPS Form10-800-a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Section number 9, 10 Page 2,1 Rostoff, Basil, Roman Yereniuk, and Stella Hryniuk. Monuments to Faith: Ukranian Churches in Manitoba. Maintoba: The University of Manitoba Press, 1990. Salem City Directories, 1857-1942. Sanborn Fire Insurance Company. Atlas of the City of Salem. Multiple editions, including 1906 and updates. Thernstrom, Stephen, Ann Orlov, and Oscar Handlin.

The Harvard University Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1980. Tolles, Bryant F. Architecture in Salem: An Illustrated Guide. Salem: Essex Institute, 1983. Vakar, Nicholas P. Belorussia: The Making of a Nation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1956. Voshchullo, Vitaly, Archpriest of St. Nicholas. Pamphlets on Church and personal communications. Walker, George H. & Co. Atlas of the City of Salem, Massachusetts. Boston: George H. Walker & Co., 1911. (end) 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Boundary Description: The boundaries of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory are illustrated on the attached City of Salem Assessors Map 41, lot 219. Boundary Justification: The nominated property includes the entire parcel historically associated with Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory.

(end) Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church & Rec tory 64-66 Forrester Street Salem (Essex County) Massachusetts Salem Assessors Map #41, Lot #219 Revised: 1991 Scale: 1" = 100' les- 1088E 19> 64 19 -2, 19.!2 2861 :8.00 19 65 2100 TLLD FORRESTER 65 13 E 5982 OGOEE 50.5 211 LSES 52 8-R8 E12z 2/991 2600% (3921 44 215 32 99 SQUARE LEHANSI 22 36 0195 225Z 5-09 212 OLEE 2168 S 5, 9LEZ bOSE OOLE 2633 217% 5-06 7600 2/9 6g 64-66 0029 07-98 3BOAROMAN oS, 3405-0s 80291 87-59 500S OGST 922 2457-9 -.-=- YSMES +_----=--- 10 30 7 1/8 eTo 4948 4426 WA 5202 S:52 08I0tE S5,5 5,0bb 801 IT9 * 4:35 9L1 UOZE LLE !1 0820 09/'01 OLI 8008 TTiE 5174 ELI r38 25 7.6 32 42 62 6+65 0+62 50 OOC, 2LLE -ESSEX ST. 85-5 123 Leis - oa?

274 SZETELA M42-L2 1.3 AC 243 27,903 244 11100 1898 236 19/83 237 11908 245 25,800 233 8390 102 234 3000s 100-S PRUSAK SQUARE 30-5 305 60-5 3- 3R 20 RI, 250 90v z 33-5 254 2517 252 135/259 230 16 4/3 623 82 122010/2 130-S 32 à 36 0802 2892697 891 509 b1:6/ WS, L81 850g 28 21 E 881 S* 635 15g 3670 21 83 1860 SEDS AELS: 6i95 9922 681 ASTACK LE9E 0522 89bZ 15 N 58 16 C 3144 161 1MOY! 091100%7 'ò UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: RESUBMISSION PROPERTY St.

Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Essex DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 1/25/94 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: REFERENCE NUMBER: 93000346 NOMINATOR: STATE DETAILED EVALUATION: N ACCEPT RETURN REJECT 2/18/94 ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS: 3/11/94 Entered in the DATElational Register RECOM.

/CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION _count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION -historic current DESCRIPTION -architectural classification materials _descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) -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 BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA _acreage _UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION _sketch maps _USGS maps photographs OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone presentation Signed Date St.

Nicholas Russian Othodox chunch and Rectory 64.66 Forresser Street, Salum MA Claire W. Dempsey Jannary 1992 Looking southeast pom webb Street PHOTO#I o 1 * THI BEIDCRACUA LSVE LIBEAY COMMISSIONT RECEIVED MAR 2 9 1993 NATIONAL REGISTER March 22, 1993 Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed you will find the following nomination form: Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory, 64-66 Forrester Street, Salem (Essex County), Massachusetts, 01970. The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Owners were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment.

Sincerely, Betry Friedkeg Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure cc: Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church Mayor Neil J. Harrington, City of Salem Annie Harris, Chairperson, Salem Historical Commission Jane Guy, Preservation Planner, Salem Historical Commission Patrick Cloherty, Director, Salem Public Library Claire W. Dempsey, Preservation Consultant Massachusetts Historical Commission, Judith B. McDonough, Executive Director, State Historic Preservation Officer 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Office of the Secretary of State, Michael J. Connolly, Secretary DR 3/27/93 COMMISSIO Git arrAChachay * * * 1 Comnmn tal (r ker) REC AP: RECEIVED 413 APR 19 1993 - 1E.040 April 14, 1993 Carol Shull Chief of Registration National Park Service Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C.

20013-7127 RE: Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory, 64-66 Forrester Street, Salem (Essex County), Massachusetts, 01970 Dear Ms. Shull: Because of a technical error in notifications, we are requesting the return of the above-named nomination. We plan to resubmit the nomination to the National Park Service once the notification error has been rectified. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Betey treedberg Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission CC: Jane Guy, Preservation Planner, Salem Historical Commission Claire W. Dempsey, Preservation Consultant Saint Nicholas Orthadox Church Massachusetts Historical Commission, Judith B. McDonough, Executive Director, State Historic Preservation Officer 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Office of the Secretary of State, Michael J.

Connolly, Secretary Ept January 18, 1994 * * COMMISSIONTA 1 Corumnn Wkali kil) * Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 RECEIVED JAN 2 5 1994 NATIONAL REGISTER Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church and Rectory, 64-66 Forrester Street, Salem (Essex County), Massachusetts, 01970. This nomination was originally submitted to the National Park Service in March 1993, but due to a technical error in the notification process, the MHC requested the nomination be returned. The notification error has since been corrected.

Because the city of Salem is a participant in the Certified Local Government program, the owners were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 60-120 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Sincerely, Betry Fredhere Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission RECEIVED 413 enclosure JAN 25 1994 CC: Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church Mayor Neil J. Harrington, City of Salem Jane Guy, Salem Historical Commission Patrick Cloherty, Salem Public Library Claire W. Dempsey, Preservation Consultant SAL54922 awr.34T020820m Massachusetts Historical Commission 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Office of the Secretary of State, Michael J. Connolly, Secretary