Beneficent Congregational Church
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Beneficent Congregational Church
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| Location | Providence, Rhode Island |
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| Coordinates | 41°49′11″N 71°24′51″W / 41.81972°N 71.41417°WCoordinates: 41°49′11″N 71°24′51″W / 41.81972°N 71.41417°W |
| Built | 1809 |
| Architect | Barnard Eddy; John Newman; Tallman & Bucklin |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Part of | Downtown Providence Historic District (#84001967) |
| NRHP Reference # | 72000035 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 13, 1972 |
| Designated CP | February 10, 1984 |
The Beneficent Congregational Church is a United Church of Christ congregation of Congregationalist heritage at 300 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The congregation was founded in 1743 during the "First Great Awakening".
The current church building is a brick Greek Revival structure which features a prominent dome. The structure was built in 1810 and substantially altered in 1836 to a design by Tallman & Bucklin, giving it its present form. This work was funded with a $30,000 donation from textile entrepreneur Henry J. Steere in honor of his father, Jonah Steere. Beneficent has active ministries working with the homeless in the city and around the world.
Beneficent Congregational Church is open for Sunday services and the building is located at 300 Weybosset Street in Providence.
The church bears a striking similarity in style to the Massachusetts State House in Boston, designed by Charles Bulfinch. Prior to about 2007, the church's dome was covered on gold leaf which gave it a distinctive appearance. Due to weather damage to the gold leaf, the congregation voted in 1987 to replace the roof with more durable copper sheeting as part of a larger renovation project. This copper sheeting gives the dome its current green patina.
Beneficent Church in the early 20th century
Jonah Steere, father of Henry J. Steere, portrait now owned by Beneficent Congregational Church
1886 engraving
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