Christ Church Cathedral (Springfield, Massachusetts)

Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral in the early 20th century
42°06′12.13″N 72°35′8.95″W / 42.1033694°N 72.5858194°W / 42.1033694; -72.5858194Coordinates: 42°06′12.13″N 72°35′8.95″W / 42.1033694°N 72.5858194°W / 42.1033694; -72.5858194
Location	35 Chestnut St. Springfield, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Denomination	Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Website	www.cccspfld.org
History
Founded	May 13, 1817
Consecrated	May 25, 1894
Architecture
Style	Romanesque Revival
Groundbreaking	1874
Completed	1876
Specifications
Materials	Brownstone
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Western Massachusetts
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Rt. Rev. Douglas John Fisher
Dean	Priest-in-Charge Tom Callard

Christ Church Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

Christ Church began on May 13, 1817 in the chapel of the Springfield Armory under the guidance of the armory's superintendent Colonel Roswell Lee. A fire at the main armory buildings on March 2, 1824, forced the church out, as the space was needed by the armory for other purposes. Services were held at various Springfield locations, including the Methodist church, the parish house of the First Church (Congregationalist), and the old court house. The Rev'd Henry Washington Lee, the son of Col. Lee, took charge of the congregation on October 28, 1838 and it was reorganized. Lee went on to become the Right Rev'd Henry Lee, the first Episcopal Bishop of Iowa in 1854.

Property at the corner of State and Dwight Streets was acquired in 1839 and a new church was built there. Among the names of those parishioners contributing to the building of the new parish church were Anna McNeill Whistler, wife of George Washington Whistler and mother of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the famous painter. The Whistler family rented Pew No. 9. The new church was a rectangular building with a square turreted cupola. The building was enlarged in 1851 after then rector, Abram Newkirk Littlejohn recognized the need to expand. In addition to more seating, the project added a chancel, vestry room and library. During the same time, a two-manual tracker-action organ (1833) by E and G.G. Hook was purchased from St. John's Church in Providence, RI, by the Ladies' Society for $687.50, with a promise for more. The Rev'd Littlejohn went on to become the first Bishop of Long Island, and in 1895, officiated at the wedding of Consuelo Vanderbilt and the 9th Duke of Marlborough at St. Thomas Church, New York City.