{"nrhp_refnum":"10000391","name":"Second Church in Boston","other_names":["Ruggles Baptist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"874, 876, 880 Beacon St","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.34694041900008,"lon":-71.10501015599993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-06-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and limestone Georgian Revival church complex at 874-880 Beacon Street at Park Drive in the Audubon Circle area of Boston, Massachusetts. Designed in 1912 and dedicated in 1914, it has an L-shaped plan with a sanctuary, parish house and 130-foot tower.","why_significant":"It is an unusual Georgian Revival design by noted architect Ralph Adams Cram, who is best known for Gothic Revival churches. It is also the only surviving building of one of Boston's oldest parishes, founded in 1649, and reflects the changing face of Unitarianism in the early 20th century. It is significant at the local level under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Beacon Street and Park Drive in Boston's Audubon Circle neighborhood, this red brick and limestone church was designed in 1912 by Ralph Adams Cram and built by the Norcross Brothers Company. Its L-shaped plan joins a gable-roofed sanctuary with a three-story gambrel-roofed parish house, linked by a 130-foot tower with an octagonal limestone spire. The sanctuary has a pedimented temple facade with Corinthian pilasters, and its interior features classical plasterwork, coffered ceilings and mahogany pew boxes. The church was dedicated on November 8, 1914. Cram is best known for Gothic Revival churches, so this Georgian Revival design is an unusual departure in his work. The building also houses the parish founded in 1649, which was served by ministers including members of the Mather family, John Lathrop and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and which moved from Puritanism to Unitarianism. The church retains a high degree of integrity and is significant locally for architecture and religion.","period_of_significance":"1912-1960","architect_builder":"Cram, Ralph Adams - Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, Arch.; Norcross Brothers Company, builder","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival: Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as remarkably unchanged since its 1914 dedication, though the chancel was reconfigured and some original furnishings were removed. It remains in religious use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.993469-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/74/7969/63796974/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/10000391.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000391/960955fa44-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000391/960955fa44-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BostonMA_RugglesBaptistChurch.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BostonMA_RugglesBaptistChurch.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796974","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Church_in_Boston","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7443193"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/second-church-in-boston-10000391/"}