{"nrhp_refnum":"83000577","name":"First Universalist Church","other_names":["Hp-4"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6 Rust St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.523871686000064,"lon":-70.89506962699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-07-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story red brick Federal-style church at 6 Rust Street in Salem, Massachusetts, built in 1808 and designed by William Putnam for the Universalist Society.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of two Federal period churches remaining in Salem and one of only two buildings to survive in an early 19th century vernacular neighborhood cleared for urban renewal. It is a typical Federal meetinghouse design with strong architectural restraint, and it retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship and association.","narrative":"Brick walls, a projecting five-bay facade and a central square tower define this church at 6 Rust Street in Salem. Designed by William Putnam and built in 1808, it follows the typical Federal meetinghouse plan. Brick sill courses mark the second story of the facade and circle the tower, while the rest of the building stays plain except at the cornice, which makes the balustraded tower stand out. Broad granite steps lead to three entries: a round-arched center door and two segmentally arched side doors. The Universalist Society of Salem was founded in 1805. A first lot on St. Peter Street was sold because it was too close to the town jail, and the Rust Street lot was bought instead. The cornerstone was laid on August 17, 1808, and the first service took place on May 14, 1809. The church is one of two Federal period churches left in Salem and one of two buildings remaining from an early 19th century neighborhood cleared for urban renewal. The church was restored in 1924 and is still used as a church.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William Putnam","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is church; the form records a restoration in 1924 and alterations dated 1855 and 1878.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.17771-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/7899/63789911/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000577.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000577/a12669f47a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000577/a12669f47a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Universalist_Church,_Salem_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Universalist_Church,_Salem_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789911","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Universalist_Church_(Salem,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5454036"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/first-universalist-church-83000577/"}