-
STATE:
Rhode Is landCOUNTY,
ProvidenceFOR NPS USE ONLY
ENTRY NUMBER DATE
L :..:*..>: *::.COMMON: - -
Grace Church . . .
AND/OR HI5TORIC:
:.::- .. . - .
STREET AtSC NUMBER:
175 Mathewson StreetCITY OR TOWN:
Provi1ence . . . -CODE COUNTY:
Rhode Island, :02903 Ith ProvidenceCLASSIFICATION
___________________________________ ______________
____________
C DistrictSite
C.
Building
Q StructureObject
C
C
Public
Private
Both *
jPublic Acquisition:I C In Process
Being Considered
.-.- . .. -
Occupied -
0 Unoccupiedc Preservatonwork
. in progress
CC
Yes:
Restricted
Unrestricted
No
PRESENT USE Check One or More as Appropriate .
0 IndustrialC Military -* . Religious0 Museum
Rhode Island, 02903LLOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION -. .
COURTNOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC:
City HaUSTREET AND NUMBER: . .
.
Dorrance Stréetat Washington StreetSTATE
Rhode Island, 02903
0
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z-of-nCf-n
0zr
Form 10-300July 1969
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK
SERVICE
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESINVENTORY - NOMINATION
FORM
Type all entries - completeapplicable sections
STATE
CATEGORYCheck One
OWNERSHIP
I-,
5’,-
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F
0
IF-
1 -
Iii
CODE
UU
STATUS ACCESSIBLETO THE PUBLIC
C AgriculturalC CommercialC EducatianolC Entertainment
- C Government C Park -0 Private Residence -
OWNERS NAME:
Grace Church
C ScientiFic
o Transportation
C Other Specify
ftOWNER OF PROPERTY
______
C Comments
Providence
STREET AND NUMBER: - --‘ . : - .
l7S MathewsonStreet . .
_______________________ _____
STATE:CITY OR TOWN:
-11-4ri
CITY OR TOWN:
Providence
CODE
tli
CODE
PR F S!.I ..4J.afINExls1:irG;.su.RvETI TLE OF SURVEY:
Historic American Buildings SurveyDATE OF SURVEY: 1956 Xl
Federal C State 0 County LocalDEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS:
Library of CongressSTREET AND NUMBER:
IndependenceAvenue and 1st Street, S. E. .CtTY OR TOWN: STATE:
CODE
Washington . . .. District of Columbia. 11
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ILIQECRIPTIONCMckThi.
0 £mIIs.. 0..d 0 Fsl 0 D.t.,Iotctsd 0 RuIns 0 U.cnp...dCONDITION
.. -.ck On$ Check Oi.
AIsr.4 0 U,Itn.d 0 Mend OrIjinol 5tj"4 DESCRIDE THE P00CM? AND
ONIOSNAL If b..,U flHYSSCAL APPCARANC*
4 Grace Church rises abruptly from its crampeddowntown
setting.Originally built in l8lzS and 18h6 in the heart of the
residential dis-trict, the Gothic Revival church now stands so
hemmed in by commercialbuildings that it is impossible to ést a
full view of it from any angle.4 The secondEpiscopalian structure
on Its corner site, it ts desigijedby RichardUpjohn and completed
except for the thapel.to the south,finished in 1851i; and the
spire, finished in 1860, in June of i8h6.
The church is lii? feet long by 82 feet wide and Is eurrouMed
bya narrow anting strip. Its rectangulai, buttressedmass of
reddishbrown freestone faces north and is covered by a gable
roof--originallydesignedwith skylights at clerestory level which
have since been removed due to maintenanceproblems. The tower and
spire rise asyruretrically and picturesquely fran
the::northeastconier of the church and
U,taper rapidly, by meam of corner chamfering, to a point 206
feet above
14 the street prTI
Upjohn’s tràatment.of the exterior of Grace Churchis extrenely
-simile and uncluttered. The only ornamentatiOnis the rther rough
texture of the brownstoneitself and a universally-applied hàod
molding,with corbels, whose splaying curve grows from the wall
around eachaper
* ture. The double, panelled entrancedoor with its
concentrically recessedmoldings, the two short lancet windows to
either side of it, andthe three tall. lancet windows clustered
above it are defined in thiswa’. Hood moldings and corbels alsoset
off the secondarydoor to thewest of the main door, the door and
lancet windows of the tower, andthe seven large aisle windows of
lancet form on either side east andwest of the church. The original
treatment of the south end of the -church is impossible to
ascertain, Since the. chapel built abutting it iniSLt has beenmuch
rebuilt and enlarged over the years, completely obscuring any
remnantsof the original design. *. - . * **. .
Entering the church through the main north door, one finds
anarthex separatedfrom the body of the church by a black walnut
organ
screen
canedwith three-cuspedarches and trefoils. this screenisnot,
however, pirt of Upjohn’s original work. Within, the nave unfolds
along the three-aisle plan. It is sevenbays long and is separated
fran the east and west aisles by graceful ilith-century-style
arcadessupportedon fifletted stone piers of clustered
colonnettes,the cluster- * . -ing echoedby the numerousmoldings in
the arches. * ce
* The nave terminates ina raised square-endedchancel,
originafly* 30 feet wide by 17 feet deep and flanked by two vestry
roars. In 1912
the chancel was extendedto a depth of li2 feet and remodelledby
thearchitectural firm of Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson. Upjohn’s
originaltreatment of the chancel had been one of strong, simple
lines executedinbiack walnut--wholly consistent in texture. and
austerity with thebody of the church. A set of three
painted-glasslancet windows, the
See Continuation ShOt.
-
Form 1O-300o UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATEJuly
1969 NATIONAL PARK SERYICEH Rhode Island
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTy -Providence
INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORMFOR NPS USE ONLY
ENTFIY NUMBER OATEContinuation Sheet L
Number all anirlea
7. Description.
middle one larger than the others, rose behind a walnut
communion table andabove a walnut chancel screen with carving
similar to that of the organscreen. * The reading desk, pulpit, and
chairs were also black walnut carvedwith Early English details.
In 1882 a new tripartite chancel window with stained glass was
installed and still remains. In 1912, Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson,
employingthe rich dolor of high-maintenanceEdwardian
"Perpendicular" collegechapels, completed the refurbishing of the
chancel. They converted theeasternvestry into an open memorial
chapel and laid its floor and that ofthe chancel with colored
tiles. Within the chancel they replaced the walnut furniture,
moldings and panelling with stained oak. The chancel screenwas
replaced by an elaborate gilded triptych. The steps, altar,
pulpit,and parapet were redesigned in pink, violet and white
marbles. The resultof the changes was a chance].harmonious within
itself, but not particularly so with the rest of the church.
* The wooden roof-trussing of the nave rises from corhels into
elaborate five-cusped arches. Above the aisles the trussing takes
the form ofsimple lancet arches. The ceilings of the aisles, nave,
and chancel wereoriginally plastered. The nave and chancel
ceilings, due to leakage andother probloms, have seen a number of
alterations. The skylights abovethe nave were removed in 1970, and
its ceiling is now covered by acousticfelt. The chancel ceiling has
been panelled. The woodwork of the aislewalls is simple
recessedblack walnut panelling, complementingthe pews.Hood moldfrgs
cap clerestory and aisle windows alike.
LL Significance. * -*
norm for most church building in America into the 20th century.
GraceChurch is singularly significant as the first church in which
Upjohn usedasymmetryin the overall plan.
The hiilding is as much a familiar landmark and a visual
pleasure indowntown Providence, where--amongdepartmentstores--one
unexpectedlycomesupon its mediaeval silhouette, as is this
architect’s famous Trinity Churchin New York. It has always
remained an active parish despite the factthat for years few of its
communicantshave lived near Grace Church andhas been knwn for the
outstanding personalities of a succession of rectorsand for the
continuing high quality of its church music.
- *GPO 901.082
-
- C
‘
PERIODChock One or More as Appropriate * -
-: J Pre-Colunbian - LI 16th Century - 0 18th Century 0 20th
Century0 15th Century - 0 17th Century - 19th Century --
SPECIFIC DATEISI Ii Applicable and Known l8h5-l8L6 - . -AREAS OF
SIGNI FICANCIt -Check One or More as Appropriate * . -
-Aboriginal - - 0 Education - - 0- Political - * 9 Urban
Planning- Li Prehistoric 0 Engineering 9 ReIigion/Phi 0 Other
Specify
-- - - - J Historic * - -- 9 Industry -. Iosophy - . - . - .
-
0 Agriculture o Invention 9 Science * * --*
Architecture 0 Landscape ] Sculpture
________________________
- - T_J Art * Architecture- J Social/Human-
_____________________________
-
0 Commerce 0 Literature - itarian
________________________
lJ Communications 9 Militory 9 Theater -UJ Conservation o Music
0 Transportation
________________________
STAT EMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE - * - - -
*
- race Church is important becauseit marks a turning-point in
theecclesiastical designs of Richard Upjohn and becauseit is a
good,typical example of a Gothic ;Revival church. - - - * -
-- Upjohn had designed a number of churches before 1815,
including
o - his most famous and career-makingTrinity Church in New York;
but none- - - - before Grace Church had departed from the classical
Georgian symmetry
of rectangular mass with towers either centei’ed axially or in
pairedo :positions. Upjohn, conceivably becauseof the corner site
of the
church--bit more probably becauseof the romantic influence Qf
thevarious 19th-century revivals and the picturesque
aesthetic--placed the- tower of Grace Church asymmetrically at the
-northeast cornerof the
I- mass. The ttbox" of the colonial nBeting house or "preaching
church"remains; hut the uncompromisingcorner tower with its slit
windows
* -* z speaks the primitivism of mediaevalcastles. Notably
asymmetricalare- - two churches by Upjohn in nearby Connecticut and
immediately following
"his Grace Church design--one in Norwich, 18b6-l81j9, and one in
NewLii London, 181t7-l850. - . . -
- - - -
-- The plainness of the exterior is typical of Upjohn churches,
asis the overall construction oP a rectangular mass with pitched
roof and
* clerostory. - The interior use of the three-aisle plan and
Early EnglishGothic detail is also characteristic of the bilk of
Upjohn’s ecclesi-
- - astical design. * - -
It is important to note that Upjohn uses mediaeval details
rather.than actual mediaeval structural principles: that he borrows
corhels,clerestories and arcades, if.you will, but no flying
buttresses orstructural vaulting. ConsequentlyGrace Church is a
picture, ratherthan an architectural form, from the past. As such,
it exemplifies thestructural "dishonesty" common to all
19th-century revivals, which firstPugin and *nn Ruskin attacked. -
. - . . - -
Completed in l8b6,Grace Church,-Providence, is significant in
itstypical embodiment of the Gothic Revival ecclesiastical style,
whichafter Upjohn’s effective use of it becameand remained the
architectural
* - - * -
-See Continuation Sheet.
-
- . - --
fr1MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
Cady, John Hutchins: The Civic and Architoctural Development of
Provi-ence, 1636-1950 Providence, Rhode Island, 1957, p. 126.
- Hitchcock, Henry-Russell, Jr.: Rhode Island Ardhitecture
Providence,- - Rhode Island, 1939, po. 1t7-b5. - - - -- --
Huntington, Henry Barrett: A History of Grace Church .. 1829-1929
-
Providence, Rhode Island, 1931, pp. h9-57, 7li-78,
105-106,117-118,- 155-158, 170. -: - *. * - - -
Upjohn, Everard N.: Richani Upjohn: Architect and Churchman New
York, -- 1939, p.7h-75. ** - - - --- - * --
a2PHIcAL ;ATA
_________
-
______ ____
LATITuDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES. LATITuDE AND LONGITUDE
COORDINATES -
DEFINING A RECTANGLE LocATING THE PROPERTY 0 DEFINING THE CENTER
POINT OF A PROPERTYOF LESS THAN TFN ACRES
CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDER
LATITUDE LONGI TUDE
APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: Less than one
acreLIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STAT.E
OR
-
COUNTY BOUNDARIES -
STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE
STATE: CODE COUNTY: * - CODE
STATE: CODE - COUNTY: CODE
STATE: - CODE COUNTY: * - -- CODE
NAME AND TITLE:
-
Ancelin V. Lynch, Surveyor-ResearcherDATE
Island Histocal Preservation Commission pt. 15, 1971NUMBER:
State House, 90 Smith Street * -CITY OR TOWN: -
- Providence *-- ****** - -STATE - - CODE
Rhode Island, 02903 -* -
- As the designated State Li aison Officer for the Na-- - :
-
- tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Public Iaw
- 89-665, I hereby nominate this property for inclusion
in the National Register and certify that it has been
evaluated according to the criteria and procecbres set
I hereby certify that this property is included in the
National Register. - - - * - - - -*
-
- - - * * : - * -*forth by the National Park Service The
recommended
level of significance of this nomination is:-
National state 9 Local 9
*
Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation
* - *-: : * H -
Name-
Date - -
- -
ATTEST: - -- -
--
Title - -
*
-
*- Keeper of The National Register-
Date Date
C
oP o 9 , t -o a I- * I
NW
N E..
SE -
SW
Degrees Minuts Seconds0 *.
a - -
0 - -
D - -
Degrees Minutes Seconds0 -
0 -
--‘0 -
0 - -
Degrees Minutos - Seconds Degrees Minutes - Seconds
h9-l7.65-N - 710 2b56.0L"W
fji. FORM PREPARED BY - -
STREET AND
ORGANIZATION
Rhode
In
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-
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STA1NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE Rhode Island
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCOUN
PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FORNPS USE ONLY
Type all entries - attach to or enclosewith photographENTRY
NUMBER DATE
Z I.L’.:NAME: ..: ::..:; .:. .:: .:.. . . . . . .o OMMON: Grace
Church- lAND/OR HISTORIC:
I- LL0CATNTREET AND NUMBER:
l7 MathewsonStreetCITY OR TOWN:
ProvidenceSTATE: CODE COUNTY I CODE
Rhode Island Providence
z PHOTORERENCE- IPHOTO CREDIT: Grace Church
[DATE OF PHOTO: C. l9b5-I9ôLI.1 EGATIVE FILED AT: Cony negative:
Rhode Island Historical PreservationCorn
j mission, State House, 90 Smith Street, Providence, Rhode
Island, 0290.JIçAtIOt’ :*. :.. ... ..*: ....
DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION. ETC.
View south through nave.
-
Ji
-
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCOUNTY
- ProvidencePROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FORNPSUSE ONLY
Type all entries - attach to or enclosewith photographENTRY
NUMBER J DATE
Z I’;. . .o COMMON: Grace Church- AND/OR HISTORIC:
I- LOCAT1ON
o iTREET AND NUMBER:l7 MathewsonStreet
CITY OR T9WN:
ProvidenceSTATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE
Rhode Island Providence 007z OTOREFERNC- ‘HOTO CREDIT: B.
Christopher Bene
DATE OF PHOTO: November, 1971LU EGATIVE FILED AT: Rhode Island
Historical Preservation Cornrnission, State House,w 90 Smith P1n-
Rhrd TC1iid 2fl
DESCRIBE VIEw. DIRECTION. ETC.
Exterior from the north-east
-
iIfl
GEOGRAPHICAL COORDINATES
Latitude: 410 49’ 17.65" N
Longitude: 71° 24’ 56.04" W
SassafrasPt
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35
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-
‘Form 10.301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATEJuly
1969 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCOUNTY
ProvidencePROP ERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY
ENTRY NUMBER DATEType all entries - attach to or enclosewith
map
Z .... . ... .... . ....
o COMMON: Grace Churon- AND/OR HISTORIC:
‘ LLOCATONSTREET AND NUM BER:
U .I7 Maihewson StreetCITY OR TOWN:
ProvidenceSTATE: CODE COUNTY: I CODE
Rhode T5land Providence J 007M*PREFERENC
ISOURCE:
-U. S. Geological Survey
[SCALE: 1: 21j,000LU _IOATE l9? ..... ... .. ... .. .
RE.Q . .. . . . .
TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS
1. Property broundaries where required.
2. North arrow.
3. Latitude and longitude reference.