{"nrhp_refnum":"84000430","name":"Church of Christ","other_names":["Revere Masonic Temple"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"265 Beech St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Revere","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.409402130000046,"lon":-71.00669820399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-11-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former meetinghouse and church at 265 Beach Street in Revere, Massachusetts, built in 1710 as the Rumney Marsh meetinghouse and later remodelled in 1856 and 1888. It is now a Shingle Style building that encloses the original timber frame.","why_significant":"The building holds the earliest meetinghouse structure in Suffolk County and is among the half dozen oldest meetinghouses in New England. Its intact 1710 timber frame includes bowed tie beams that appear unique. It also shows how early meetinghouses were repeatedly updated to follow changing styles, and it was the center of religious and political life in Rumney Marsh and Chelsea.","narrative":"Built in 1710 as the Rumney Marsh meetinghouse, this building at 265 Beach Street in Revere has been reshaped twice yet still contains its original oak timber frame. The frame measures 43 by 35 feet and is hidden inside a Shingle Style exterior dating mainly from 1888. Its roof trusses use gently bowed tie beams across the auditorium, a feature the nomination describes as apparently unique. In 1856 the church was turned 90 degrees and given Italianate styling from plans by Boston architect Thomas Silloway. A congregation of modest means reused the same structure rather than replace it. The meetinghouse also hosted town meetings for Chelsea from 1738 to 1806 and served as that town's only meetinghouse until 1828. The congregation disbanded in 1919, and a Masonic lodge then used the building until 1982. It is listed for its early frame, its record of changing architectural fashion, and its role in local history.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799, 1800-1899, 1900- (specific dates 1710; 1856; 1888; 1919)","architect_builder":"Thomas Silloway (1856 remodelling); no architect identified for 1888 remodelling","architectural_style":"Shingle Style (1888), over an Italianate remodelling of 1856 and an early 18th century meetinghouse frame","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant and unoccupied; the Masonic lodge that bought it in 1919 used it actively until 1982.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.580355-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7969/63796971/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84000430.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000430/5a8c5cf5b2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000430/5a8c5cf5b2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_Christ_Revere_MA_03.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</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:Church_of_Christ_Revere_MA_03.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796971","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Christ_(Revere,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5116843"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/church-of-christ-84000430/"}