{"nrhp_refnum":"84002609","name":"First Congregational Church","other_names":["United Church Of Christ"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main and Church Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stoneham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.48099000000008,"lon":-71.09967999999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival church building at Main and Church Streets in Stoneham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, constructed in 1840. It is a clapboard-covered, rectangular-plan structure on a brick foundation; the architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as Stoneham's most fully developed and stylish example of Greek Revival architecture. It is also the earliest of three well-preserved religious structures in town and has had a central role in the town's establishment and growth. The form states it has integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship.","narrative":"Built in 1840 at Main and Church Streets in Stoneham, this Congregational church is the town's most stylish example of Greek Revival design and the earliest of three well-preserved religious buildings there. It is a rectangular wooden structure on a brick foundation under a pitched roof, clad in clapboards except for the flushboarded gable-end facade. Ornament is concentrated on the west-facing front, which is divided into three parts by unfluted Doric pilasters carrying a full entablature. Each part has an entry with a transom below and a 6/6 window above. The gable is treated as a pediment with a triangular louvered opening, topped by a three-part steeple with a rectangular base, louvered belfry and octagonal spire. This is the congregation's third building. The first was erected in 1726 and a meeting house of 1803 burned in 1840. The parish became independent of the town in 1826. The church occupies the block known as Church Square, or the Common, in the central business district.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Alterations are noted as interior only; the building has not been moved.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.803816-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/7914/63791421/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002609.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002609/250ea1bf9b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002609/250ea1bf9b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational_Church,_Stoneham_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_Congregational_Church,_Stoneham_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"89002277","name":"Central Square Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/central-square-historic-district-89002277/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791421","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congregational_Church_(Stoneham,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452823"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/first-congregational-church-84002609/"}