Northampton Architecture- Quadrant 4

First Church of Christ

The First Church of Christ, located at Main and Center Streets, was built in 1877, replacing the church built by Isaac Damon in 1812 (below). It is the fifth meetinghouse to occupy the site. The church has had a long roster of distinguished ministers, among them Solomon Stoddard and Jonathan Edwards. The Boston-based architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns designed the building in Gothic Revival-High Victorian style.

The church is an outstanding example of the creativity and originality connected with the Gothic Revival, for it displays an obviously modernized version of 13th century design. The building includes the same oversized scale and simplification of details noted in the Smith Charities building. In contrast to much 1870's architecture, the church is basically monochrome, yet it is polytextural; the rockfaced texture of the brownstone walls contrasts with a smoothly cut brownstone trim. Slender iron columns and several intensely glowing Tiffany windows add to the rich interior of the structure. Generous stenciling, comprised of abstract natural forms, adds deep, Victorian color to the building's interior.

back to virtual tours | back to quadrant 4