Arlington Street Church

Arlington Street Church. It is a historic Unitarian Universalist congregation located at the corner of Arlington Street and Boylston Street in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1729 as the "Church of the Presbyterian Strangers" in the North End, it is the oldest church in the city continuously associated with Unitarianism. The congregation's current building, completed in 1861, is a landmark of Greek Revival architecture and stands as a prominent symbol of liberal religious thought and social activism in New England.

History

The congregation was originally gathered in 1729 by a group of Scottish Presbyterian immigrants, meeting in a small wooden building on Long Lane in Boston's North End. In 1746, the church called Jonathan Mayhew, a pioneering Congregationalist minister whose radical sermons against tyranny and for civil liberty laid early theological groundwork for American Unitarianism. Under the leadership of Henry Ware, who was installed in 1805, the church formally embraced Unitarian principles, becoming a central institution in the Unitarian controversy that split New England congregations. The congregation relocated to its present site in the newly filled Back Bay in 1861, commissioning architect Arthur Gilman to design a grand new edifice that reflected its stature and progressive ideals.

Architecture

Designed by prominent Boston architect Arthur Gilman, the structure is a masterful example of mid-19th century Greek Revival architecture adapted for ecclesiastical use. Its design was directly inspired by James Stuart's and Nicholas Revett's influential studies of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens. The exterior is constructed of gleaming white Chelmsford granite and features a monumental colonnade of sixteen massive Corinthian columns, each a single piece of stone, supporting a classical pediment. The building's square campanile, housing a bell cast by the Revere Foundry, rises 190 feet and was a defining feature of the Boston skyline in the 19th century. The interior is organized in a Greek cross plan under a central dome, creating an auditorium space focused on the pulpit.

Notable features

The sanctuary is renowned for its collection of exquisite Tiffany stained glass windows, installed between 1898 and 1933, which constitute one of the most significant collections of Louis Comfort Tiffany's ecclesiastical work in a single building. The church's Aeolian-Skinner organ, Opus 1106, installed in 1949, is considered one of the finest instruments in New England and has been used for numerous recordings and recitals. The building rests on 999 wooden pilings driven into the soft fill of the former Back Bay Fens, a common engineering feat for structures in this part of Boston. The pulpit has been occupied by many notable figures, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing, and Martin Luther King Jr., who preached his first sermon in Boston there in 1953.

Social activism

The congregation has a long and distinguished history of commitment to social justice and progressive causes. In the 19th century, under ministers like Theodore Parker, it was a fervent hub of the abolitionist movement, with Parker actively aiding the Underground Railroad. In the 20th century, the church was a central meeting place for the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War protests, and early advocacy for LGBT rights. The church performed one of the first same-sex marriage ceremonies in Massachusetts in 2004 and has been a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter and immigration reform. Its Social Action Committee continues to engage with issues of economic justice, climate change, and racial equality.

Ministers and leadership

The church's pulpit has been held by some of the most influential figures in American liberal religion. Following Jonathan Mayhew, Henry Ware's election in 1805 marked a decisive turn toward Unitarianism. Theodore Parker, a transcendentalist and radical abolitionist, served from 1846 to 1859, making the church a national center for reform. In the 20th century, ministers such as Dana McLean Greeley, who later became the first president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and William G. Sinkford, the first African American president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, provided leadership. The church's ministers have consistently combined theological scholarship with a deep commitment to public ministry and social witness.

Category:Churches in Boston Category:Unitarian Universalist churches in Massachusetts Category:Greek Revival church buildings in Massachusetts Category:Back Bay, Boston Category:National Register of Historic Places in Boston