South Parish
South Parish | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Location | 292 State St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
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Coordinates | 43°4′32″N 70°45′29″W / 43.07556°N 70.75806°WCoordinates: 43°4′32″N 70°45′29″W / 43.07556°N 70.75806°W |
Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
Built | 1824 |
Architectural style | Early Republic |
NRHP reference No. | 79000210[1] |
Added to NRHP | August 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[]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b "NRHP nomination for South Parish". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
External links[]
- Unitarian Universalist churches in New Hampshire
- Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
- Churches completed in 1826
- Churches in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
- Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- 1826 establishments in New Hampshire
- National Register of Historic Places in Portsmouth, New Hampshire