Second Church of Newton
|
|
Second Church in Newton
|
|
Location | 60 Highland Street, West Newton, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Built | 1916 |
NRHP Reference # | 90000049 |
Added to NRHP | March 16, 1990 |
The Second Church in Newton, United Church of Christ, is located at 60 Highland Street in West Newton, a village of Newton, Massachusetts. The congregation was founded 1764 and formally recognized in as Newton's West Parish in 1778; it was Newton's second parish. Its present church building, a Gothic Victorian structure designed by Allen & Collens and completed in 1916, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (as "Second Church of Newton") in 1990.
The Second Church in Newton is located on the east side of Highland Street, just south of the Massachusetts Turnpike and the West Newton business district. The parcel it occupies is bounded on the north by the highway and on the east by Chestnut Street; both Chestnut and Highland are collector roads leading through the residential area of West Newton Hill. The church building is an elaborate example of Gothic Revival architecture executed in stone. The main facade, facing west toward Highland Street, is narrow, with a buttressed projecting section housing the main entrance in a recessed arch, with a large stained-glass window above. The side walls are also buttressed, with pointed-arch windows in each of four bays. A square tower rises at the eastern end of the north elevation. To the north of the main building an education wing with Tudor styling was added in 1938.
The West Parish of Newton was organized in 1764 and formally recognized in 1778. Its second meeting house was built on Washington Street in 1848, the first being adapted for use as town hall as part of the town government's move to West Newton. Discussion to build a new structure began in 1908, with the land purchased in 1913 and the cornerstone laid in 1914, the 150th anniversary of the congregation. The building was designed by the noted ecclesiastical architects Allen & Collens.
Coordinates: 42°20′50.27″N 71°13′35.86″W / 42.3472972°N 71.2266278°W