Central Congregational Church (Providence, Rhode Island)

Central Congregational Church
Central Congregational Church Location within the state of Rhode Island
41°49′44″N 71°23′45″W / 41.82889°N 71.39583°W / 41.82889; -71.39583Coordinates: 41°49′44″N 71°23′45″W / 41.82889°N 71.39583°W / 41.82889; -71.39583
Location	296 Angell Street, Providence, RI
Country	United States
Denomination	United Church of Christ
Membership	661
Weekly attendance	300+
Website	http://www.centralchurch.us/
History
Founded	1852
Architecture
Architect(s)	Carrère and Hastings
Style	Renaissance Revival
Completed	1893
Specifications
Capacity	1000
Clergy
Minister(s)	Rev. Rebecca L. Spencer

Central Congregational Church is a United Church of Christ congregation established in 1852 in Providence, Rhode Island. The current church building at 296 Angell Street was built in 1893, designed by New York architectural firm Carrère and Hastings. It is part of the Stimson Avenue Historic District. The church has a long tradition of social and community work in the Providence area, the United States and around the world.

The Congregation outgrew its original Thomas Tefft-designed building on Benefit Street in the College Hill Historic District, and moved to its current location in the 1890s. The old building is now part of the Rhode Island School of Design. For the new building, architect Thomas Hastings and minister Edward C. Moore wanted to use the Renaissance style. The dome and vaulting of the current structure is of tiles by Rafael Guastavino, it is the first dome that he constructed in the U.S. The apse decoration is by Herman T. Schladermundt of New York. The stained glass windows were designed by Jacob Holzer with work by the Duffner and Kimberly Company. They depict the creation of the earth in the east and the heavenly city in the west, and are described as 'unsurpassed in the state.'

The current Aeolian-Skinner organ was installed in 1965 and dedicated to the Reverend Arthur Howe Bradford. It replaced an organ built by Austin Organs in 1917. It contains four divisions, 58 ranks and a total of 3,456 pipes, and was restored in 2009.