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| Arlington Street Church (Unitarian Universalist) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Arlington Street Church |
| Caption | Arlington Street Church exterior |
| Location | Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Denomination | Unitarian Universalist Association |
| Founded date | 1729 (congregational roots); current building 1861 |
| Architect | Arthur Gilman; Richard Bond (original planning); H. H. Richardson (influences) |
| Style | Georgian Revival; Colonial Revival |
| Added | 1973 (National Historic Landmark District) |
Arlington Street Church (Unitarian Universalist) is a historic congregation located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association. The church occupies a prominent site near the Public Garden and is noted for its role in religious, cultural, and social movements in United States history. Its building, designed in the mid-19th century, is an architectural landmark and a focal point for liturgy, activism, and the arts in New England.
The congregation traces roots to the early 18th century with connections to First Church in Boston, evolving through figures associated with Unitarianism in New England, including ministers influenced by William Ellery Channing and debates with Universalism leaders. The current Back Bay congregation emerged during the urban redevelopment of Boston in the 1850s, alongside projects like the filling of the Back Bay and the creation of the Commonwealth Avenue corridor. The church's establishment coincided with national events such as the American Civil War and social movements including abolitionism and early women's suffrage, where congregants participated in organizations like the American Anti-Slavery Society and corresponded with activists such as Frederick Douglass and Lucy Stone. In the 20th century the congregation engaged with movements around civil rights movement, LGBT rights, and antiwar protests related to the Vietnam War, aligning with liberal religious responses seen at institutions like Riverside Church and All Souls Church Unitarian. The church's affiliation with the Unitarian Universalist Association followed the 1961 consolidation of American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America.
The church building, completed in 1861, was designed during an era influenced by architects such as Charles Bulfinch and later practitioners including H. H. Richardson. Its style draws from Georgian architecture and Colonial Revival architecture, featuring a prominent steeple and a nave oriented toward liturgical visibility similar to designs in Boston Common-area churches. The interior contains stained glass and ornamental elements by firms comparable to John La Farge and artisans associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. The sanctuary houses historic pipe organs built by builders in the tradition of G. Donald Harrison and contemporaries like E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings. The church is situated within the Back Bay Historic District, a site linked to preservation efforts by organizations such as the National Park Service and local Massachusetts Historical Commission initiatives.
Worship at the church reflects Unitarian Universalist principles also practiced at congregations like All Souls Unitarian Church and Unitarian Church in Charleston, emphasizing pluralism and covenantal community. Services combine elements found in liberal Protestant liturgies and contemporary Unitarian Universalist rites used across the Unitarian Universalist Association. The congregation has hosted rites including civil unions and marriages that paralleled legal changes signaled by cases like Goodridge v. Department of Public Health and national policy debates in the U.S. Supreme Court. Pastoral leadership has engaged in theological dialogue with scholars from institutions such as Harvard Divinity School, Andover Newton Theological School, and Boston University School of Theology.
Arlington Street Church has a long record of activism, participating in coalitions with groups like Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and fostering partnerships with shelters and food programs similar to Project Bread and Greater Boston Food Bank. Congregational leaders have supported campaigns tied to labor rights associated with United Food and Commercial Workers and housing initiatives in tandem with Boston Housing Authority-linked programs. The church has served as a meeting site for movements from abolitionism through the civil rights movement to contemporary efforts addressing climate change and criminal justice reform connected to national organizations such as Amnesty International and local advocacy groups like Massachusetts Bail Fund.
The church maintains a robust music program comparable to those at Trinity Church (Boston) and Old South Church (Boston), featuring choirs, organ recitals, and concert series that collaborate with ensembles like the Boston Symphony Orchestra's community initiatives and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. The sanctuary has presented works by composers associated with church music traditions including Johann Sebastian Bach, Charles Ives, and contemporary creators linked to the American Choral Directors Association. The arts program hosts exhibitions and interdisciplinary events resonant with venues such as Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, engaging artists, poets, and performers from the Boston arts scene.
The congregation has counted among its ranks civic and cultural figures similar to those connected to Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Boston Athenaeum. Ministers and leaders have included clergy with ties to William Ellery Channing's legacy, scholars affiliated with Harvard Divinity School and activists linked to Jane Addams-era social reform. Guests and speakers have included public intellectuals and political figures in the vein of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau-era transcendentalists, later activists involved in civil rights movement leadership, and contemporary theologians who lecture at institutions like Union Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School.
Located adjacent to the Public Garden and within the Back Bay Historic District, the church campus includes meeting rooms, a parish hall used for community programs, and space for music rehearsals and social services similar to outreach sites operated by Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and congregational centers like St. Stephen's Church (Boston). Facilities support offices connected to statewide religious coalitions and interfaith initiatives involving groups such as the Interfaith Social Services of Boston and regional ecumenical partners. The building's preservation and adaptive use efforts reflect practices promoted by organizations like Preservation Massachusetts and urban planning trends in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Category:Unitarian Universalist churches in Massachusetts Category:Buildings and structures in Boston