Arlington Street Church Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Arlington Street Church

42°21′7.4″N 71°04′15.9″W / 42.352056°N 71.071083°W / 42.352056; -71.071083
Location	351–355 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Denomination	Unitarian Universalist
Architecture
Architect(s)	Arthur Gilman
Architectural type	18th-century English

The Arlington Street Church is a famous Unitarian Universalist church located in Boston, Massachusetts, right across from the beautiful Public Garden. Unitarian Universalism is a faith that encourages people to seek their own spiritual path.

The church is famous for its history and for the important ministers who have led its community. It was finished in 1861 and designed by architects Arthur Gilman and Gridley James Fox Bryant. They modeled it after another famous church, St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England.

Inside, the church is decorated with 16 huge stained-glass windows. These amazing works of art were made by the famous Tiffany Studios between 1899 and 1930.

The church is also known for being the location of the first legal same-sex marriage in the United States, which took place on May 17, 2004.

History of the Church Community
- A Center for Social Change
Building the Arlington Street Church
Inside the Church
- The Famous Tiffany Windows
  - A Masterpiece of Glass Art
Gallery
See also

History of the Church Community

The church's community, or congregation, first formed in 1729. It was originally called the "Church of the Presbyterian Strangers." Before moving to its current location, the congregation met at the Federal Street Church.

One of its most famous early ministers was William Ellery Channing. He was a leader in the Unitarian movement in America. Another important leader connected to the church's history was Hosea Ballou, who was a key figure in American Universalism. Over the years, other church groups joined with Arlington Street Church, bringing their people and ideas together.

A Center for Social Change

In the 1960s, the church became very involved in the Civil Rights Movement, which fought for equal rights for all Americans. One of the church's ministers, James Reeb, was tragically killed while participating in a protest march in Selma, Alabama.

During the Vietnam War, the church was a center for peaceful protests. In the 1980s, it created programs to raise awareness about AIDS and to help homeless people. These actions show the church's long history of working to make the world a better place.

Building the Arlington Street Church

The beautiful interior of the church sanctuary.

In the 1850s, Boston was growing quickly. To create more space, parts of the city were built on land that was once under water. This new area was called the Back Bay. The Arlington Street Church was the very first public building constructed in this new neighborhood.

Construction started in 1859 and the church was officially opened in 1861. Because the church was built on soft, muddy land, it is held up by 999 giant wooden posts, called pilings, that were driven deep into the ground.

The outside of the church is made of a type of sandstone called brownstone, which was brought from New Jersey. The tall bell tower is 190 feet high and has 16 bells inside. It is one of only four sets of bells in Boston that are still rung by hand.

Because of its historical importance, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Inside the Church

A close-up of a stained-glass window by Louis Comfort Tiffany showing John the Baptist.

The main room of the church, called the sanctuary, was designed to look like a famous church in Genoa, Italy. It has tall, decorative columns and large, curved arches. The pews, or benches, are made of chestnut and black walnut wood. In the past, families owned their own pews, and the wooden walls around them helped block cold drafts in the winter.

The Famous Tiffany Windows

When the church was first built, the windows were made of clear glass. But in 1898, the congregation decided to replace them with beautiful stained-glass windows made by Louis C. Tiffany's art studio. Tiffany was a world-famous artist known for his stunning glasswork.

The church planned to have 20 Tiffany windows, but only 16 were installed before the Great Depression, a time of economic hardship, made them too expensive to continue. By the time the economy recovered, Tiffany's studio had closed, so no more could be made.

A Masterpiece of Glass Art

The windows were designed by Frederick Wilson, Tiffany's top designer. He used special types of glass that Tiffany was famous for, like "drapery glass," which is folded to look like real fabric, and "Favrile" glass, which has a unique rainbow-like shine.

Some windows have up to seven layers of glass. This layering creates amazing colors and textures that look almost like a painting. The windows on the lower level show stories from the early life of Jesus. The windows on the upper level show his teachings, known as the Beatitudes.

Today, the church is open to the public for tours, so everyone can see the incredible beauty of the Tiffany windows.