St. Stephen's Church (Boston) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Stephen's Church
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St. Stephen's Church, Boston
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| Location | 401 Hanover Street Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1804 |
| Architect | Charles Bulfinch |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000300 |
| Added to NRHP | April 14, 1975 |
St. Stephen's Church is a very old and important church in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built between 1802 and 1804. A famous architect named Charles Bulfinch designed it. It was first called the New North Church.
This church is special because it's the only one of the five churches Bulfinch designed in Boston that is still standing today. An older church stood in the same spot before this one, built in 1714. The church started as a Congregationalist church. Later, in 1813, it became Unitarian. In 1862, it was sold to the Roman Catholic Church and renamed St. Stephen's. The church was carefully fixed up in 1964-1965. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, which means it's a very important historical building.
Contents
How the Church Was Built
This church is made of red brick with white decorations on the front. It has a clock tower and a belfry (where bells are kept) on top. It was originally built for a Congregationalist group. The first stone was placed on September 23, 1802. The building was officially opened on May 2, 1804.
A newspaper at the time described the church as "bold and commanding." It said the front had stone decorations and a tower about 100 feet tall. The inside was almost a perfect square, about 72 feet by 72 feet. It had columns supporting the ceiling, which rose in an arch.
Charles Bulfinch designed the church to be nearly square inside. Some wood from the old church, built in 1714, was used in the new building. When the church was fixed up in 1964-1965, its foundation was found to be very strong. The church cost about $26,570 to build. Most of this money came from selling seats (called pews) inside the church.
Changes Over Time
From Unitarian to Catholic
Like many churches in Boston during that time, the New North Church became Unitarian in 1813. A minister named Francis Parkman led the church from 1813 to 1849. He was the father of a famous historian. By 1822, some people found it difficult to attend church in the North End because it was not considered a fashionable area.
In 1862, the North End neighborhood changed a lot. Many Irish Catholic families moved there. So, the church was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boston. It was then renamed St. Stephen's. During this change, the weather vane was removed. A cross and a clock were added to the tower. The church was also moved back 16 feet and raised more than 6 feet in 1870 when Hanover Street was made wider.
Today, St. Stephen's Church is the home church for the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle. In 1992, it became part of St. Leonard's Parish.
Restoring the Church
In 1964, Cardinal Richard James Cushing approved a plan to restore the church. This meant bringing it back to how it looked when Charles Bulfinch designed it. The building was lowered back onto its original foundation. The Bulfinch cupola (the small dome on top) was rebuilt. The same company that had moved the church almost a century earlier did the restoration work.
During the restoration, workers looked for clues about the original design. They found the old copper-covered dome hidden under a false cap. They also found the original side entrance doors, complete with their hardware, which had been bricked up. One writer, George E. Ryan, said that by 1965, St. Stephen's Church had been moved a total of 25 feet. It had been moved up, down, and backward over its history. The goal of the modern project was to return the church to its 1804 condition.
The inside of the church is not exactly like Bulfinch's original design. However, the pulpit and pews (church benches) are copies of original ones found in another church. The brownstone pillars on the front of the church were meant to be painted white to look like marble.
Kennedy Family Connections
The famous Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was a member of St. Stephen's Church. His daughter, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, was baptized there in 1890. Many years later, her funeral was also held at St. Stephen's in 1995.
See also
