{"nrhp_refnum":"80000485","name":"St. Matthews","other_names":["St. Matthew's Episcopal Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"693 Southbridge St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.24325208700003,"lon":-71.81163716199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. Matthew's Episcopal Church at 699 Southbridge Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, is a Gothic Revival granite and sandstone church designed by Stephen Earle (Earle and Fisher). Its cornerstone was set in 1894.","why_significant":"The form marks architecture and religion as themes. It describes the church as a rock-faced granite building with Gothic and Romanesque motifs that remains in original condition. It was the first of four Episcopal missions founded in Worcester and was built with major gifts from manufacturer Matthew J. Whittall.","narrative":"St. Matthew's Episcopal Church on Southbridge Street in Worcester is a Gothic Revival building of rock-faced granite and sandstone, designed by Stephen Earle of Earle and Fisher and built by the Norcross Brothers. Its cornerstone was laid in May 1894, and Bishop William Lawrence consecrated it in May 1896. The street facade has a high nave gable with a rose window above a pointed-arch entry, a square tower rising to a belfry and pyramidal roof, and a circular side tower with a conical stone roof. Gothic and Romanesque details ornament the exterior, and the church remains in original condition. A modern parish house stands to the south. The parish began as the first of four Episcopal missions in Worcester, started with the encouragement of rector William Huntington. A wooden chapel was built in 1871, and the parish was organized in 1874. Manufacturer Matthew J. Whittall, a prominent member, gave $30,000 toward the present church.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Stephen Earle (Earle and Fisher); built by the Norcross Brothers","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present use is as a church; the form says it remains in original condition, with a modern parish house to the south.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.588133-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/49/7930/63793049/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000485.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000485/6abbb0f4b8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000485/6abbb0f4b8-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Matthews_Worcester.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Matthews_Worcester.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793049","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Matthew%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Worcester,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7590604"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/st-matthews-80000485/"}