{"nrhp_refnum":"80000551","name":"Pilgrim Congregational Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"909 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.25217971200004,"lon":-71.81845827299998,"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":"A brick Romanesque Revival church at 909 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, built in 1887-1888 and designed by Stephen Earle for the Pilgrim Congregational Church congregation.","why_significant":"The form describes it as an unusual and fine example of Romanesque Revival and Victorian architecture, noting the high quality of its design and its excellent condition. It is also tied to the congregation's history, from its 1883 organization to the construction of the present church on land donated by the Knowles family.","narrative":"Pilgrim Congregational Church, at the corner of Main and Gardner Streets in Worcester, is a brick Romanesque Revival building completed in July 1888 to designs by architect Stephen Earle. The building firm of Cutting & Bishop constructed it. Rock-faced sandstone trims the windows and corners, and a high corner tower rises to an open belfry with spiral-carved stone finials. A three-part arched entry porch, a rose window and arched windows complete the design. Gables on the west facade and the north and south sides appear to correspond to the nave and transept. The congregation organized in May 1883 and was received into the Congregational fellowship in 1885. Francis B. Knowles and Helen C. Knowles gave the land, and a wooden chapel went up in 1884. The cornerstone of the present church was laid on October 22, 1887, and the chapel was later remodeled as a Sunday school. The building is described as an unusually fine, well-preserved example of Victorian architecture and has remained in use as a church.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect Stephen Earle; built by the firm of Cutting & Bishop","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; the form says it was recently steam cleaned and restored and is in excellent condition. Unaltered and not moved.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.182306-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/7930/63793057/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000551.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000551/48c3620ef1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000551/48c3620ef1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilgrim_cong_church_909_Main.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilgrim_cong_church_909_Main.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793057","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Congregational_Church_(Worcester,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7193930"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/pilgrim-congregational-church-80000551/"}