STATE: -

Rhode IslandCOUNTY:

ProvidenceFOR N PS USE ONLY

ENtRY NUMBER DATE

-. J1..jNAME.. ..:.i..:. :-.- .:.:.v.*--

COMMON: ‘. . . - . . . -

Conrdon Street Bantist Church

ANDORHISTORIC:

/‘ . . .

STATE . CODE COUNTY, CODE

Rhode Island, 02906 Wi Providence UJ

--

CATEGORY. Check One

OWNERSHIP STATUSACCESSIBLE

TO THE PUBLIC

0 District .- U Building

0 Site 0 Structure

0 Public Public Acquisition:

J Private p 0 In ProcessOccupied

o Unoccupied

Ye,:Restricted

0 Obj.ct . 0 Both 0 BeIng Con,Ided

*

0 PreservatIon workin progress

o Unr.strlcted

0 No

PRESENT USE Check One or More as Appropriate

C Agricultural Government Q Park / 0 Transportation 0 Comments

C Commercial 0 Industrial . o Private Residence 0 Other ‘SpecIe.

0 Educational 0 MilItary 1.1 Religious

0 Entertainment Q Museum -0 Scientific

OWNERS NAME:

Congdon Street BaptistChurch-STREET AND NUMBER:

,

, !..

!17 Congdon Street ,

CITY OR TOWN:

ProvidenceION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION

. .

., -‘ -

STATE:

Rhode Island. CODE

Uk:

STATE - - - CODE

Rhode Island, 02903 Ll

[iREPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYSTtTLE OF SURVEY:

College Hill Demonstration Grant Study. Project R. I., fl-.-l.DATE OF SURVEY: 1959 . 0 Federal 0 State 0 CountyDEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS:

Providence RedevelopmentAgencySTREET AND NUMBER:

-10 Dorrance StreetCITY OR TOWN: ‘TE

CODEProvidence . . .‘ Rhode Island, 02903 Wi

F0" 10.300July 1969

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESINVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

Dype all entries - complete apj,licable sections

jOCATiON . .*,.*:,‘. .*.*:-*h*’Y -‘H- --h

.

1. .:: .. ,. Uh:*.c’Y . . . .. ::

STREET AND NUMBER: .717 Congdon Str’eet

CITY OR TOWN:

Providence,"

IiCLASSIFICATION . --.-- --

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!A. OWNER OF PROPEPTY

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COURTHOUSE REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC:

City HallSTREET AND NUMBER: - -- -

Dorrance and Washington StreetsCITY OR TOWN:

Providence

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- CONDITION[N Excellent 0 Good 0 Fair Deteriorated 0 Ruin. 0 Unexpos.d

- l_ - Check One Check One

l] Altered 0 Unaltered 0 Moved i:3 Origir.ai Sit.

- DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL if known PHYSICAL APPEARANCE -

The Conon Street Baptist Church, erected in 18Th-iBiS, is a fine-

and well preserved example of simple Victorian ecclesiastical architec-,-

ture. Exterior detailing is in the North-Italian RomanesqueRevival-‘ manner and imitates, in wood, the masonry or brick architecture of the

-‘ original style. The work strongly reminds one of that of Thomas A.

:-- -Te.fft 1826-1859, prominent Providence architect, although Tefft had

-

-

- died well in advance of the construction of this building.

The structure is basically-a one-story rectangular clapboardedbox,

set on a high brick foundation, with gable roof and tall corner tower.

Windows along the length of the structure are tall, nine-over-nine,

double-hungsashwith segmentalarches. They are embellished by flat,

wooden label rnouldings and very flat, sawn label stops. Sills are pro

jected slightly and rest on simple wooden corbels. A narrow band ofraspberry-colored etched glass lights surrounds thepale yellow glass in

the sashes. Some of the original etched glass has been replaced. At

the gable-end of the building to the south, a large, tripartite, rounded-

- arch window is similarly adorned with wooden label mouldings and corbelled

sills. The opposing wall to the north is pierced by a single bull’s-eye -

- window, now boarded-in; and the wall itself has been extensively rebuilt. a

There is a small modern ell attached at this end. .

-I- The eaves and gables of the main structure are decorated withasawn wooden cornice resembling abrick corbel table; P-his feature also

- seems reminiscent of mediaeval machicolations. It is repeated in a C

double band at the top of the hip-roofed hell tower at the south-west - - fl

corner of the church. This square tower, pierced by segmentally-arched -,

windows, is three stories tall and projects slightly;outside and wel-l - -

Nahove the basic structure. The stylistic influence of such mediaeval o- Italian buildings as the PalazzoVecchio in Florence s strong. The

upper, wooden exterior of the church has been painted white for someyears; one feels, -however, that it was originally painted in one color -

or another imitative of stone, and it is strongly suggestedthat thistreatment be- resumedat the next time of painting. - -

As the church is on the side of a very steep hill-, its brick foundation or basementis a full story in height in the front west. Entrance to the church is gained at this level through a simple recesseddouble-door at the base of the corner tower. The frQnt wall of the -‘

- basementis broken by paired, four-overrfour, double-hungsashwindowsset beneathsingle segmentalarches. - - - - - -

Above church-school rooms and,a kitchen at ground-level, the in- -

tenor of the church is basically one large main room, its ceiling a -

continuous segmentalItvanJtII -achjend in plaster. - A stairway from -

- - - - - - . - - - - -

See Continuation Sheet.- -

- - .:.

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- F :: I

%TAT -

Rhode Island -

COUNTY

Providence- FOR NJ’S USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMOER DATE

tower entrance on the sidewalk leads up to a narro* hall which zuns across

the southern end of the churcl4nd to a narrow balcony above this hall andoverlooking the main room. At the opposite-end ofthe main room a raised-,

platfont in front of a large, recessed, segmentally-archedniche servesas

the altar and preaching area-. - - - - - - - - -

A rich decorative effect has been prOduced through simple details.The plain Victorian wainscot, window mouldings and doors are, stained andtreated to -lMtate rich wood-main, as are. all the woodwork and furniture.Like the other furnishingsthe-organ-case -which projects intothe mainroom, next to the altar, is. caned with Gothic detail. The stendilled pat-terns on the organ pipes;.the floral desis etched into the- border lights

* - of the windows and the- painted mural adorning the niche behind the altargive color to the otherwise soberly-shadedinterior.

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- . ;F,rn. Itt.Oa-. eJt 1969

UNITCO STATES OEPAPTMrNT or TUE INTERiORNATiONAL PARK SERVICE -

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORICPLACE$

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

Continuation Sheet

Number .11 .ntrie.

- 7. Description.

- - -

-:

-- F F

--

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- - -- - - -*:

- - - :,‘Tt F ‘

--

rEptoD Check One or Mare as Appropriate -

O Pre-Columbion I - 0 16th Century

O 15th Century 0 17th Century

5ECI Ft C DAT EtSI ft Applicabl, end Known ltiYJLlb 5AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE Ch.ch One or More a. Approprlet. -

Abor ;ginol - - 0 Education- 0 Political 0 Urbon Planning

o Pr.historlc 0 Eng1needn Religion/PhI. 0 Otk.r Specify

o HistorIc- 0 Industry losaphy -

o Agriculture 0 tnver,tion 0’ ScIence

______________________

[I Architecture 0 Landscape 0 Sculpture

o Art - ArchItecture 0 Social/Human- - -

0 Commerce Literature - harlan

________________________

o Communications o Military- Theater - - -

0 Conservation o Music 0 TransportatIon -

ITATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The design of theCongdon.Street Baptist Church is an excellentexample of the Italianate-Mediaeval Revival style, effected with great -

simplicity of plan and detail. The church suggests the work of a local- carpenter or builder working from architectural drawings and designs ofa slightly earlier period. Details such as the corbel table, the labelmouldings, and the window sills are seen in drawings by Tefft done inthe 1B50’s, as well as in surviving structures in the area which areknown to date from that decade. In lB7It these details were repeated onthis church, but their extreme flatness indicates that the builder wasperhaps more influenced by drawings, only, than by existing buildings.

- - The place of the church in the history of Providence is importantand should be remembered. In 1819, Moses Brown gave land on CollegeHill to ttthe people of colortt for a school-house and meeting-house.The original building stood slightly north of the present structure’,just off Meeting Street and a little above Congdon Street; it was built

- in 1821 and provided the first school-house-for black children in Providence. In 1869 this was torn dowA, without the approval or knOwldedge

- of the congregation, by white neighbors be-causeits- proximity displeasedthem. - - -

The- congregation then had to meet w}erever it could while an exchange of - ;land was effected and a new meeting-housebuilt.- The courtsallowed a land exchangein 1871, and the present building at the cornerof Congdon Street was undertaken. The vestry was dedicated on April 21,18Th, and the church was completed by July, 1875. The total cost of thestructure was approximately $15,POO. -

The church is an appreciatbd landmark in its area,, insertedneatlyinto its carved-out niche in the slope of College Hill; - It is in scalewith the XIX-Century residential structures facing it and beyond it onCongdon Street, and is a picturesque part of the city scene--especiallywhen it and its tower are seen at an angle as one enters or looks up

-Congdon Street. It is even more a landmark as a physical or visual reminder of independentachivement, high purposes, tenacity and stabilityand excellent architectural taste in the old black community of Providence, a part of whom forñi’thjs church’s long-established, dignified andrespectedcongregation. They take pride in their building and give itboth constant use and very good care. -

tt’-tt

o 18th CntuTy

i2i 19th C.ntury

0 70th C.ntury

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lO1AL DATA -_________________

____

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATESDEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY

CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE

APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTYlJ.s_t_ armILtST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE: - - - CODE COUNTY - CODE

STATE: CODE COUNTY: - CODE

STATE: CODE COUNTY: -- - - CODE

STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE

FORM’PREPAREb:B::::;::,::. H-:- .:F-F’F-J::::J>:-:-:-- :F:,<V F::.F:F:F.*::::::-;----F-:-:-,,-;-:-F-:- -,-

NAME AND TITLE: -

- I Clifford N. Renshaw, III, Consultant - -

ORGANIZATION - / DATE

- -- Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission " - - April 5, 1971

STREET AND NUMBER: - --

State HotEe, 90 Smith Street - - - - -

CITY OR TOWN:

o,FF,i,q**R-C P 1I!.lc,A

As th designated State Liaison Officer for the Na

tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Pubtic Law

89-665, 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion

in the National Register and certify that it-has been

evaluated according to the criteria and proce&ires set

forth by the National Park Service. The recommended

level of, significance ofthis nomination is:

- National 0 - State:

- Local 0 -

- -Nime

Johnson, Rev. Leardrew L.: A Brief Hintdrical Sketch of the Congdon St.Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1H19-1965 Mimeographed manuscript, Providence, Rhode Island, 1965,? pp. -

0R

NWNESEcw

Degrees Minutes Second.0 -.0

0

4

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATESDEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY

OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES

Degree, Minutes Seconds0 -

0

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Degrees Minutes

I1° -1-9Second.

39 NDegrees Minut.s Seconds

710 21y a-

Providence

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STATE

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- I hereby certify that this property is included in the

National Register. - - - - - -

- Title

Date

Chief,

Date’

Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation

.

AflE5T: -

Keeper of The National Re4ister

Date

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UTM Coordinates19:300110:4633310

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Form 10.301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF-THE INTERIOR STATE

July 1969 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY

ProvidencePROPERTY MAP FORM - FOR NPS USE ONLY.

Typeall entries - attach to or enclosewith map- ENTRY NUMBER DATE

X NAME - ,, -I -"° ‘5 -- --

o c0MMON:Cpflrdofl Street Baptist Church- ANO’OR HISTORIC: , -

_ LOCAT1ON -- -- - - S - -- - -- - -. ...--

STREET AND NUM BER:o 17 ‘Congdon StreetCITY OR TOWN:

ProvidenceSTATE: ‘ I CODE COUNTY CODERhode Islaxd -

- [ lilt Providence uulREFERENCE

- [s0UE. S. Geological Survey

UI 1: 2b,000197 -

L:.1EQ!JtREa4EN,’t$.- I: I--I -- -‘ ‘‘ -5--

TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS

1. Proprty broundorl.. wh.r. r.qulr.d.

2. North arrow.

3. Latltud. and longitud. rsf.r.nc..

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R}iode_InljindUNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCOUNTY

ProvidencePROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FORNPS USE ONLY

Typeall entries - attach to or enclosewith photographENTRY NUMBER DATE

Z 1LNAMo COMMON: ConrdonStreet Baptist Church- AND/OR HISTORIC:

I- b.OCA11ONU TREET AND NUMBER:

17 Condon StreetCITY ON TOWN:

Providence

STATE: I DE ICOUNTYI CODEI Rhode Island

- r -J Providence 007

z PHOTOREERENC0 :*:*.5.-- .-7/--- ‘.--/‘7::--.-

- *T6 CREDIT: Clifford 11. Renshaw, IIIATEjj March, 1971

Iii EGATIVE PILED A4Fi Xerox cow at Rhode Island Historical Preservation ConinlissionState House, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903

- - JL -. 2

OEICNIBE VIEW. DIRECTION. ETC.

Sketch-plan not to scale of main floor.

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

- NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM

Typeall entries - attach to or enclosewith photograph

STA Tt

Rhode IslandCOUNTY

ProvidenceFOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER-

DATE

UNAME ,. -->-.-. ---7 . - .-- -

dOMMON: CongdonStreet Baptist ChurchAND/OR HISTORIC:

:LOCATON - -- "5/ ‘‘5 -" S - - :- -- :- -‘

STREET AND NUMBER:

17 ConrdonStreet S

CITY OR TOWN:

Providence S

STATE: ‘ DE COUNTY: CODERhode Island - Providence 007

PHOTO REFERENCE - --,...i -- .-.-.::-- :‘.:- :.:.:..::://///i: -- -‘ - ‘- .: - 5"-’

PHOTO CREDIT: Clifford M. Renshaw, IIIDATE OF PHOTO: 197].IEGATIVE FILED AT: Rhode Island Historical PreservationCommission,

State House, 90 Smith Street, Providence, R. I., 02903jIDENTIF1CA11CN

DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION. ETC.

Exterior seen from the south-west.

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM

. PHOTO REFEREP4C‘HOTO CREDIT: C1DATE OP PHOTO: ic*EGATIVE PILED A’r

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Interior of church auditorium, looking north-west.