St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral - Springfield, MA - Cathedrals on Waymarking.com

The Memorial Church (Congregational), now known as St. George Cathedral, had its beginnings in 1864 when a building then known as "The Old Sargeant House" at the corner of Main and Sargeant Streets was sold to Horatio Sargeant and religious meetings were held Sunday.

As the community grew, a site on the knoll at Plainfield and North Main Streets was purchased from Dr. W.G. Breck for $42,000. The well-known architect, Richard Upjohn (1802 -1878) of New York City, was engaged to draw up a plan of the church building and the handsome Gothic gray stone church building was the result. The granite for the building was the gift of Mr. William Flint of Monson. A cornerstone was laid on July 18, 1867.

The Memorial Congregational merged with other Springfield churches and on September 24, 1940 the church and property was sold to the Hellenic Religious Building Fund Corporation for St. George's Greek Orthodox Church for $50,000. The new church was renamed St. George Greek Orthodox Memorial Church.

Previously, the Pan Hellenic Society in Springfield was to established in 1906. Meetings were initially held near Stearns Square in the downtown Springfield. Eventually, a more permanent site was needed. The Church of St. George finally celebrated its first Divine Liturgy on November 15, 1907 at a small brick house on Auburn Street.

The church acquired, from the city of Springfield, a building that had once housed a branch of the city’s library system. The old library, built by Andrew Carnegie in 1905, was given to the church for just $1. The old Parish Hall, purchased with the church in 1940, was abandoned and Springfield native, Christ Kamages, an architect, was hired to design an addition to the old library. By 1979, the building that included offices, a kitchen, a small hall and a gymnasium was completed and was named the Greek Cultural Center. The community now had significant parking for the first time which allowed the community to host a large annual festival popularly known as Glendi.

Address: St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 22 St. George Road Springfield, MA 0110 Religious affiliation: Greek Orthodox Date founded or constructed: Constructed 1867 Web site: [Web Link]

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