Old First Church - Springfield, MA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member neoc1
N 42° 06.056 W 072° 35.344
18T E 699357 N 4663795
Old First Church - a New England Landmark
Waymark Code: WMBBEV
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/30/2011
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
Views: 2

The landmark Old First Church occupies the western end of Court Square in Springfield, MA. With its Greek Revival columns and Federal style tower and spire, this architectural gem is the quintessential example of a New England church. The congregation dates back to 1637. Having outgrown three meeting-houses, the present thousand-seat structure was built in 1818. In 2007 the church was forced to close its doors due to a dwindling congregation of about 150 members. Currently, the City of Springfield and the University of Massachusetts are partnering to assess how the church can best contribute to the economy and the arts in downtown Springfield.

The facility is now used for concerts, recitals, meeting and lectures. The church organ has 56 ranks, 3,241 pipes and three manual console. In 1997 been completely re-leathered, upgraded the switching and combination action been provided with a new case.

The church was recognized as a historical state landmark in 1971 and was listed on the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1972 (#72000135)

From the National Register Of Historic Places Website:
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Damon,Isaac
Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Federal
Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion
Period of Significance: 1800-1824
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Religion
Historic Sub-function: Religious Structure
Street address:
23 Elm Street
Springfield, MA United States
01103


County / Borough / Parish: Hampden

Year listed: 1972

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture, Religion

Periods of significance: 1800 - 1824

Historic function: Religion

Current function: Cultural Events

Privately owned?: no

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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