Congregational Church of Chelsea facts for kids

Congregational Church of Chelsea
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Front of the church
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Location	Chelsea Green, Chelsea, Vermont
Area	less than one acre
Built	1811 (1811)
Architect	Asher Benjamin
Architectural style	Greek Revival
Part of	Chelsea Village Historic District (ID83003212)
NRHP reference No.	76000140
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 03, 1976
Designated CP	September 29, 1983

The United Church of Chelsea, previously the Congregational Church of Chelsea, is a historic church on Chelsea Green in Chelsea, Vermont. Built 1811–1813 with later stylistic additions, it is a fine example of Federal period architecture with Greek Revival alterations. Originally built for a Congregationalist group, it now serves as a union church, affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Description and history

The United Church of Chelsea stands in the center of Chelsea Village, at the eastern end of its northern green. It is a two-story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof, clapboarded exterior, and granite foundation. The main facade is five bays wide, with the center bays in shallow projecting section topped by a lower gable. Building corners are pilastered, rising to a broad entablature. A multistage tower rises, straddling the projection and main roofline, with a square first stage surmounted by a low balustrade, an octagonal belfry with louvered openings on four sides, and a smaller octagonal section capped by a bellcast roof and weathervane. The interior was originally built with a three-sided gallery, but this was enclosed to make a full second story in the 1840s as part of a major restyling.

Built in 1811–1813 as the Chelsea Congregational Church, it has since then been a high-profile fixture in Chelsea's village. Its design is derived from plates in Asher Benjamin's The Architect's Companion, with major Greek Revival additions occurring in 1848. The Congregationalists merged with the local Methodist congregation in 1929 to form the United Church, which continues to use the building today.