Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House

Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House are a historic Episcopal Church complex at 15 and 27 Saint Paul Street and 104 Aspinwall Avenue in Brookline, Massachusetts. The Gothic Revival church building was designed by Richard Upjohn and built in 1851-52, and is the oldest surviving religious building in the town. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[1]

Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House
Saint Paul's Church
Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House is located in Massachusetts
Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House
Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House is located in the United States
Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House
Location15 and 27 Saint Paul St. and 104 Aspinwall Ave., Brookline, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°20′46″N 71°7′8″W / 42.34611°N 71.11889°W / 42.34611; -71.11889
Arealess than one acre
Built1851
ArchitectUpjohn, Richard; Schweinfurth, Julius
Architectural styleGothic
MPSBrookline MRA
NRHP reference No.85003312 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 17, 1985

Description and history edit

The Saint Paul's Church complex stands at the junction of Saint Paul Street and Aspinwall Avenue in eastern Brookline, roughly halfway between the commercial centers of Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village. The church is a basically rectangular structure, oriented with its long access east-west, with a tower projecting from the northwest corner. Its main entrance is on the long southern facade, near the western end, set in a Gothic-arched opening in a projecting section with a steep gabled roof. The building's walls are puddingstone, and the main roof, also gabled, is made of polychrome slate. The building exhibits classic elements of the Gothic Revival, including lancet-arched windows, tripartite windows with tracery, and elaborate stonework in the tower.[2]

The Episcopalian congregation for which it was built was established in 1849 by William and Augustus Aspinwall (the latter donating the land on which the church was built). Richard Upjohn was retained in 1850 to design the building, which was completed two years later. The chapel, also an Upjohn design, was built in 1858 and enlarged in 1880 to a design by Peabody and Stearns. The parish house was designed by Julius Schweinfurth and built in 1895. The church was gutted by fire in 1976 and was rebuilt in 1979-80. The church is the oldest religious building in Brookline.[2]

Current status edit

St. Paul's Episcopal Church serves Brookline, nearby Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding areas and is an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. It holds two regular services on Sunday mornings and is well-known for its ministry to children and young adults, strong choral music program, and multiple ministry initiatives outside the parish. Its current rector is the Reverend Doctor Paul Kolbet, succeeding the Right Reverend Jeffrey Mello.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination and MACRIS inventory record for Saint Paul's Church, Chapel, and Parish House". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  3. ^ [1]

External links edit