First Presbyterian Church and Manse (Baltimore, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
First Presbyterian Church and Manse is a historic Presbyterian church
located at Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
. The church is a rectangular brick building with a central tower flanked by protruding octagonal turret
s at each corner. At the north end of the church is a two story building appearing to be a transept
and sharing a common roof with the church, but is separated from the auditorium by a bearing wall. The manse is a three story stone-faced building. The church was begun about 1854 by Nathan G. Starkweather and finished by his assistant E.G. Lind. It is a notable example of Gothic Revival architecture
and a landmark in the City of Baltimore.
The steeple is the tallest in Baltimore at 273 feet (83.2 m), supported by clusters of cast iron
columns. A subsidiary spire to the right is 125 feet (38.1 m) high, and the smaller, on the southwest corner, is 78 feet high. Wendel Bollman
fabircated much of the ironwork at his Patapsco Bridge and Ironworks. The manse, or rectory, is located to the left, or west of the entrance. Stonework is a red freestone
or sandstone from New Brunswick
.
First Presbyterian Church and Manse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973. It is now known as the First and Franklin Presbyterian Church. It is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in Baltimore, founded in 1761.
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
located at Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The church is a rectangular brick building with a central tower flanked by protruding octagonal turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s at each corner. At the north end of the church is a two story building appearing to be a transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
and sharing a common roof with the church, but is separated from the auditorium by a bearing wall. The manse is a three story stone-faced building. The church was begun about 1854 by Nathan G. Starkweather and finished by his assistant E.G. Lind. It is a notable example of Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and a landmark in the City of Baltimore.
The steeple is the tallest in Baltimore at 273 feet (83.2 m), supported by clusters of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns. A subsidiary spire to the right is 125 feet (38.1 m) high, and the smaller, on the southwest corner, is 78 feet high. Wendel Bollman
Wendel Bollman
Wendel Bollman was an American self-taught civil engineer, best known for his iron railway bridges. Only one of his patented "Bollman truss" bridges survives, the Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge in Savage, Maryland...
fabircated much of the ironwork at his Patapsco Bridge and Ironworks. The manse, or rectory, is located to the left, or west of the entrance. Stonework is a red freestone
Freestone
A freestone is a stone used in masonry for molding, tracery and other replication work required to be worked with the chisel. The freestone must be fine-grained, uniform and soft enough to be cut easily without shattering or splitting. Some sources say that the stone has no grain, but this is...
or sandstone from New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
First Presbyterian Church and Manse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973. It is now known as the First and Franklin Presbyterian Church. It is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in Baltimore, founded in 1761.
See also
- Franklin Street Presbyterian Church and ParsonageFranklin Street Presbyterian Church and ParsonageFranklin Street Presbyterian Church and Parsonage is a historic Presbyterian church located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The church is a rectangular Tudor Gothic building dedicated in 1847, with an addition in 1865. The front features two 60 foot flanking octagonal towers are also...
, the reunited sister congregation, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, no longer occupied by a Presbyterian congregation
External links
- First Presbyterian Church and Manse, Baltimore City, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
- The First and Franklin Presbyterian Church website