South Parish

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South Parish
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Portsmouth, NH - South Church.JPG
South Parish is located in New Hampshire
South Parish
Location292 State St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Coordinates43°4′32″N 70°45′29″W / 43.07556°N 70.75806°W / 43.07556; -70.75806Coordinates: 43°4′32″N 70°45′29″W / 43.07556°N 70.75806°W / 43.07556; -70.75806
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1824
Architectural styleEarly Republic
NRHP reference No.79000210[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 21, 1979

South Parish is the historic name of a church at 292 State Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the United States. The church building, built in 1824-26, is one of the earliest examples of Classical Revival architecture in New England, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1]

Now known as South Church or South Unitarian Universalist Church, the congregation is a covenanting member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and is an accredited Green Sanctuary. Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with Jewish-Christian roots. It has no creed. It affirms the worth of human beings, advocates freedom of belief and the search for advancing truth, and tries to provide a warm, open, supportive community for people who believe that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion. The church is a Welcoming Congregation for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people.

Architecture and history[]

The South Parish church is located in downtown Portsmouth, at the southwest corner of State and Church streets. It is a single-story masonry structure, fashioned out of ashlar granite blocks quarried in Rockport, Massachusetts. Its gabled roof has a single-stage square belfry, topped by a low-pitch hip roof. The front facade is dominated by a four-column pedimented portico, with Tuscan columns for support. There are three entrance bays, articulated by simple pilasters. The side windows are set in round-arch openings. The interior consists of an entrance vestibule, with a single large sanctuary chamber beyond. The roof is supported by scissor trusses composed of massive timbers. The interior decorations are reflective of an 1858 enlargement and redecorating.[2]

The church was built in 1824-26. It is the first substantial stone structure to be built in northern New England, and is an early example of the large-scale use of granite in New England architecture. Its neoclassical Greek Revival elements are a precursor to later Greek Revival structures built in the city.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for South Parish". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-07-26.

External links[]

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