{"nrhp_refnum":"82004958","name":"Unitarian Society, The","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"309 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fall River","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.70615040500007,"lon":-71.15411896299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-05-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame Gothic Revival church at 309 North Main Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, built in 1835 for the Unitarian Society and moved in pieces to its present site in 1860.","why_significant":"The church combines a traditional colonial meeting house form with Gothic Revival detail, a type that began appearing in New England in the late 1820s. It is said to be a copy of the Pilgrims' Church in Plymouth and is the oldest church building in Fall River still occupied by the denomination that built it. Its pulpit was held by notable ministers such as Samuel Longfellow and Joshua Young.","narrative":"This wood-frame church at 309 North Main Street in Fall River was built in 1835 by the Unitarian Society, which had been founded in 1832. After the area around its original site at Borden and Second Streets changed following the 1843 fire, the building was taken down in numbered pieces and reassembled at its present location in 1860. Its form follows the New England colonial meeting house, a rectangular block with a pitched roof and a square central tower, while the detailing is Gothic Revival, including lancet windows, hood moldings, crocketted corner spires and a crenellated parapet. The belfry holds a Paul Revere bell. It is described as a good example of a church type that emerged in New England in the late 1820s, and is said to copy the Pilgrims' Church in Plymouth. It is the oldest church in Fall River still used by its original denomination. Ministers included Samuel Longfellow and Joshua Young.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in religious use; altered with later changes including replaced pews and a vestry added in 1895.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.780968-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/7945/63794546/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82004958.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004958/d4e37bf702-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004958/d4e37bf702-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unitarian_Church_FR.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unitarian_Church_FR.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794546","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Society_(Fall_River)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887203"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/unitarian-society-the-82004958/"}