Keywords: Boston, Boston Common, Common, Church, Park Street Church, Park Street
Description: The Park Street Church (built in 1809) in downtown Boston, Massachusetts is an active Conservative Congregational church with 2,000 in Sunday attendance and around 1,000 members. Although it is an active, thriving missionary-centered congregation, the Park Street Church also is a historical stop on the Freedom Trail. The founding of the church is predated to 1804 when the “Religious Improvement Society” began weekly meetings with lectures and prayer.[2] The society organized the charter of the church on February 27, 1809 by twenty-six local people, mostly former members of the Old South Meeting House who wanted to plant a church with orthodox Trinitarian theology. The church’s cornerstone was laid on May 1 and construction was completed by the end of the year, under the guidance of Peter Banner (architect), Benajah Young (chief mason) and Solomon Willard (woodcarver). Banner took inspiration from several early pattern books, and his design is reminiscent of a London church by Christopher Wren. Park Street church’s steeple rises to 217 feet (66 m), and remains a landmark visible from several Boston neighborhoods.[3] The church was the tallest building in the United States from 1810 to 1828. [text: Wikipedia]