First Spiritualist Church - Springfield, MA - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

The First Spiritualist Church is 68' by 42' and constructed of pressed brick with trim of East Longmeadow brownstone. It was built in 1887 by Sam Provost in a High Victorian Gothic style created by a local architect. The front facade has three distinct elements. The central part is a narrow gable-end building which is flanked by two pointed towers. The east tower is capped by an octagonal spire roof. At the base is a narrow entrance porch. The larger 68' west tower has a pyramidal roof and decorative brickwork along the cornice and around the windows. The main entrance is at the base of this tower.

A plaque placed in celebration of the 350th Anniversary of the founding of Springfield is located near the front door. It explains the history of the church:

FIRST
SPIRITUALIST
CHURCH
33-37 Bliss Street
Built 1887
*=====================================

Originally the French Protestant Church, this edifice was
erected with the support of Daniel Wesson, a local in-
dustrialist, to serve the small French-Canadian Protestant
population in the City. In 1909, the building was given up by
the French due to declining membership. For the next ten
years it served a variety of ethnic groups including Italian
Baptists and Black Protestant congregations. In 1919, the
First Spiritualist Society, which organized in 1850, pur-
chased the church and has continued to use it.

*=======350
1636 - 1986 Springfield MA

This property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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