Unitarian Church of the Messiah
Unitarian Church of the Messiah | |
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
St. Louis Landmark
| |
Location | Locust and Garrison Sts., St. Louis, Missouri |
---|---|
Coordinates | 38°38′9″N 90°13′17″W / 38.63583°N 90.22139°WCoordinates: 38°38′9″N 90°13′17″W / 38.63583°N 90.22139°W |
Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
Built | 1880 |
Architect | Peabody & Stearns |
Architectural style | Late Victorian |
Demolished | 1987 |
NRHP reference No. | 80004513[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 22, 1980 |
Removed from NRHP | December 19, 1994 |
The Unitarian Church of the Messiah was a church at 508 North Garrison Avenue at the corner of Locust and Garrison Sts. in St. Louis, Missouri, USA and was the third church of the St. Louis congregation of Unitarians, founded in 1835. It was designed by noted Boston-based architects Peabody & Stearns in the Late Victorian style and constructed in 1880 by Charles Everett Clark, one of Peabody & Stearns longtime contractors. The exterior walls were constructed of locally quarried blue limestone with a tawny colored sandstone quarried from Warrensburg, Missouri.[1] The interior walls were faced with buff brick from the Peerless Brick Company of Philadelphia, among other materials.[3] The original roof was made of red slate.
The congregation's first pastor William Greenleaf Eliot initially proposed its construction in January 1877 and commissioned Peabody & Stearns in 1878. The congregation purchased the plot of land in 1879. [4] Ground was broken in November 1879, and the cornerstone laid February 1, 1880. The first service was held on December 26, 1880 with the official dedication on December 16, 1881. [1]
It was designated a St. Louis City Landmark in 1977[5] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. A fire in January 1982 caused by squatters living in a basement storage room gutted the structure,[4] leading to its eventual demolition in 1987. [6][1] Because of its demolition, it was removed from the National Register in 1994.[1][5]
Ernst R. Kroeger served as organist at the church.
References[]
- ^ a b c d e Mary M. Stiritz and Jill R. Johnson. "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Missouri Unitarian Church of the Messiah". National Archives. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ "HABS MO-1179, Church of the Messiah (Unitarian)". Historic American Buildings Survey. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Isometrical Diagrams of a Few Molded and Ornamental Bricks" (1888) [Catalog]. Trade Catalogue Collection. Athenaeum of Philadelphia. OCLC 24535609.
- ^ a b "Fire destroys century-old citychurch". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. January 30, 1982.
- ^ a b "Old Unitarian Church of the Messiah - City Landmark #61". stlouis-mo.gov. St. Louis Cultural Resources Office. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "St. Louis City National Register Listings". dnr.mo.gov. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
External links[]
Congregational History of the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis
- Landmarks of St. Louis
- Victorian architecture in Missouri
- Churches completed in 1880
- Former National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
- Demolished buildings and structures in St. Louis
- Tourist attractions in St. Louis
- 1880 establishments in Missouri
- Former churches in Missouri
- St. Louis Area, Missouri Registered Historic Place stubs
- St. Louis building and structure stubs