Plymouth Congregational Church (New Haven, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Plymouth Congregational Church
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1469 Chapel St., New Haven, Connecticut |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | William H. Allen; Sperry & Treat |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001250 |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1983 |
The Plymouth Congregational Church, also known as Plymouth Church, is a historic building in New Haven, Connecticut. It is located at 1469 Chapel Street. This building was once a church in the late 1800s.
It is a great example of Romanesque Revival architecture. This style was popular when the church was built. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is special because it has been used for many different things over time. This is called adaptive reuse. It has been a church, a synagogue, and now it holds medical offices.
The Church Building
The former Plymouth Congregational Church is in New Haven's Dwight neighborhood. It sits at the corner of Chapel and Sherman Streets. It is a large building made of brownstone. It shows off the Romanesque Revival style.
The front of the building, facing Church Street, is the main part. It has a pointed roof section called a gable. Two square towers stand on each side of this gable. The tower on the left is taller. It has a bell tower section with a pointed roof. The original main doors are found at the bottom of this taller tower.
A Church's Journey
The church group that built this place started in 1831. It was first called the Missionary Church. They met in rented rooms for many years. In 1848, they built their first church on College Street.
The group bought the land for the current building in 1884. They started building in the early 1900s. The church was officially named Plymouth Congregational Church when it opened in 1901. The number of people attending the church was highest in 1929. After World War II, fewer people attended.
In 1949, the building was sold to a Jewish group called Temple Kezar. The original church group later joined another church. The building then became a Jewish synagogue. It was used as a synagogue until 1968. At that time, Temple Kezar joined with another temple and moved to a new building.
From Church to Offices
After 1968, the building was empty for several years. During this time, it became damaged. There was also water damage inside.
Someone wanted to turn the empty building into medical offices. This plan involved changing the inside a lot. It would have added three floors and removed many original features. At first, the National Park Service did not approve this plan. They felt it would hide too much of the original grand design.
However, after looking at how much damage the building already had, the plan was approved. The damage was seen as too much to fix easily. So, the inside of the building was changed to create space for medical offices.
See also
