The Universalist Church - West Hartford, CT
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neoc1
N 41° 46.146 W 072° 44.431
18T E 687805 N 4626607
The Greek Revival style Universalist Church is located at 433 Fern Street, West Hartford, CT 06107
Waymark Code: WM17FFR
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 02/12/2023
Views: 1
Unitarianism is a theological movement whose fundamental tenet is the belief that God is a single person as opposed to the more prevalent Christian dogma that God is a Trinity composed of the God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Unitarians believe that the teachings of Jesus were inspired by this singular God and Jesus is not an incarnated deity. In the United States, the Unitarian theology began in Boston, MA in 1784 and spread from New England. Many prominent Americans were Unitarians, including Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore, and William Howard Taft; also poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and women's rights leader Susan B. Anthony. (
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Unitarianism came to West Hartford early in the 19th century. The first Universalist Church was built over 200 years ago. The present two story high, Greek Revival style, brick building with stone trim and a gable roof was built in 1930.
A set of steps leads up to a portico entrance. The pediment above the portico is supported by four Doric columns. A fanlight window is located in the center of the pediment. The central door is topped by a semi-oval with a sunburst design. It is flanked by a pair of doors with transom windows. Above each door is a 3 by 6 pane double hung window.
In front of the gable roof is a two step brick wall that supports the steeple. The base of the steeple is a square brick tower. At the center is a white circle with four keystones equidistant from each other. The next stage is a square belfry with rounded louvered windows. Above is an octagonal cupola with an octagonal tapered spire topped with a weather vane.
The sides of the building are seven bays deep. the first and last bay have rectangular windows topped with keystone at the lower and upper levels. The five inner bays have two story high windows with rounded tops decorated with three keystones.