Old West Church (Boston, Massachusetts) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

Old West Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property

Old West Church
Location	Boston, Massachusetts
Built	1806
Architect	Asher Benjamin
Architectural style	Federal
Part of	Beacon Hill Historic District (ID66000130)
NRHP reference No.	70000691
Added to NRHP	December 30, 1970
Designated NHL	December 30, 1970
Designated NHLDCP	October 15, 1966

The Old West Church is a very old and important United Methodist Church building. You can find it at 131 Cambridge Street in the West End area of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1806. A famous architect named Asher Benjamin designed it. Many people think it's one of his best works.

This church is a great example of Federal architecture. Its design was so good that many other churches in New England copied it.

A Church with History
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A Church with History

The first church building on this spot was built in 1737. It was made of wood. During the time before the American Revolution, British soldiers used it as a place to stay.

In 1775, the British tore down its tower. They thought American colonists were using it to send secret signals to Cambridge.

Designing the New Church

In 1806, the church leaders asked Asher Benjamin to design a new building. This new church has a tall brick tower that sticks out a bit from the main building. The tower is about three and a half stories high. It has a small dome-like top called a cupola.

The front of the tower has four flat brick columns. They are two stories tall and decorated with white wood. These columns separate the three main entry doors. Above each door, there is a window. The third story of the tower has pairs of smaller columns.

On the very top part of the tower, just below the cupola, there are clocks on each side. These clocks are decorated with light, hanging designs.

Important Voices

The Old West Church was a place where important ideas were shared. Jonathan Mayhew was a pastor here. As early as 1750, he spoke about people's right to remove unfair leaders. Some people believe his ideas were very new for his time. Other experts say he kept many older, traditional ideas.

Some people think Mayhew was an early supporter of ideas that later became Unitarianism. However, Mayhew himself said he was not a Unitarian. It's not quite right to call him one, as that idea came later.

By the early 1800s, Unitarian ideas became popular in many of Boston's original churches. Other well-known pastors at Old West Church included Charles Lowell and Cyrus Augustus Bartol.

What the Church Became

For 150 years, the church was a Congregational church. From 1894 to 1960, the building was used as a branch of the Boston Public Library. Since 1961, the United Methodist Church has owned the building.

In 1970, the building was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important place because of its amazing architecture.