{"nrhp_refnum":"83004288","name":"French Congregational Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"33-37 Bliss St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.099448824000035,"lon":-72.58725065599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Victorian Gothic church at 33-37 Bliss Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, built in 1887 for the French Congregational Society and now used by the First Spiritualist Church.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a fine local example of high Victorian Gothic design, with brick and East Longmeadow brownstone trim and two distinctive towers. It is also significant for its associations with Springfield's ethnic working class, since it was sponsored by industrialist Daniel B. Wesson for French Canadian employees of Smith and Wesson.","narrative":"Built in 1887 at 33-37 Bliss Street in Springfield, this brick church measures 68 feet by 42 feet and is trimmed with East Longmeadow brownstone. Its front combines a narrow gabled center with two towers: a smaller east tower with an octagonal spire roof and a taller west tower with a pyramidal roof and decorative brickwork. Pointed-arch windows and a multi-colored slate roof mark the side elevations. It was constructed by local builder Sam Provost and sponsored largely by industrialist Daniel B. Wesson for French Canadian Protestant workers at the Smith and Wesson Company. The congregation declined, and the building was sold in 1909 to the Congregational Union, which sublet it to other ethnic congregations. Since 1919 it has housed the First Spiritualist Church, whose memorial windows carry a sunflower motif. It is significant as an example of Victorian Gothic design and for its ties to the city's immigrant working class.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Sam Provost, builder (designed by a local architect, unnamed)","architectural_style":"Victorian Gothic","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In continuous use by the First Spiritualist Church since 1919; no major alterations noted.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.380536-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/7902/63790278/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83004288.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004288/959c096fa3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004288/959c096fa3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"TM01001","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Congregational_Church.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">TM01001</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Congregational_Church.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790278","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Congregational_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5501721"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/french-congregational-church-83004288/"}