Stearns Steeple
This striking High Victorian Gothic Revival
steeple is a cherished architec-
tural vestige of College Church or
Stearns Church, which stood on this
site for 79 years from 1873 to 1949.
In 1864, William F. Sterns, eldest son
of President William A. Sterns and a
prosperous Boston merchant, presented
$10,000 to the College for
erecting a proper church.
Although founded upon
the principles of Congre-
gationalism, the church
never assumed a denomi-
national name.
Various factors postponed its constru-
ction following the Civil War. Building
commenced in 1870 under the direc-
tion of architect William A. Potter,
appointed by the college's board of
trustees. Potter executed his basiliean
(cross-shaped) design, which could
accommodate 600 worshippers,
primarily using the local stone known
as Pelham gneiss with contrasting
elements in redstone, red granite
and limestone. Stearns Church was
dedicated formally in 1873.
The steeple originally stood
between the north and east arms
of the church, and functioned
as its entrance. Even in the
church's halcyon days, the
steeple was the most identifiable
and remarkable feature, rising
over 130 feet, thus, serving as a marker
for miles around. The steeple resonated
with personal, spiritual, and historical
symbolism. Bostonian George Howe,
whose son, Sidney Walker Howe (Class
of 1859), fell in the Battle of Williams-
burg in 1862, donated the spire's nine
bells, "to chime on all suitable occasions,
in commemoration of brave patriots,
connected with Amherst College, who
lost their lives in the war against
the great rebellion of 1861."
By 1908, the church required costly
repairs and expansion, prompting a
debate over its utility. It deteriorated
further over the next three decades as
the College gradually assumed a more
secular identity. With the moving of
Sunday vespers in 1933 to the newly
renovated Johnson Chapel, Stearns
Church was effectively rendered obso-
lete. After much institutional delibera-
tion, the site was selected for a new art
building, to be financed from the
generous bequest of architect William
R. Mead (Class of 1867) and his wife,
Olga. When Stearns Church was razed
in 1949 the steeple was retained as
a monument to the former church.
To transform the steeple from an
architectural component into a free-
standing structure, it was enclose on
its south and west sides using material
from its demolition including stained
glass windows that previously flanked
the altar. This repurposing of materials
presumably accounts for the inscribed
dates that now appear somewhat
randomly on the filled sides.
Originally, the inscriptions must have
served a clearer function, possibly
as memorial markers. Today,the steeple
remains a campus landmark, from
which, on occasion, its chimes still
ring.
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