Christ Church Cathedral (Springfield, Massachusetts)

Christ Church Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. In 1974 the cathedral was included as a contributing property in the Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

Christ Church Cathedral
42°06′12.13″N 72°35′8.95″W
Location35 Chestnut St.
Springfield, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
DenominationEpiscopal Church in the United States of America
Websitewww.cccspfld.org
History
FoundedMay 13, 1817
ConsecratedMay 25, 1894
Architecture
Architect(s)Lord, Fuller, and Wadlan
StyleRomanesque Revival
Groundbreaking1874
Completed1876
Specifications
MaterialsBrownstone
Administration
DioceseWestern Massachusetts
Clergy
Bishop(s)Rt. Rev. Douglas John Fisher
DeanThe Very Reverend Tom Callard
Part ofQuadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District (ID74000371[1])
Added to NRHPMay 8, 1974

History
Christ Church Cathedral in the early 20th century

Christ Church began on May 13, 1817, in the chapel of the Springfield Armory under the guidance of the armory's superintendent Colonel Roswell Lee.[3] A fire at the main armory buildings on March 2, 1824, forced the church out, as the space was needed by the armory for other purposes. Services were held at various Springfield locations, including the Methodist church, the parish house of the First Church (Congregationalist), and the old court house.[4] The Rev'd Henry Washington Lee, the son of Col. Lee, took charge of the congregation on October 28, 1838 and it was reorganized. Henry Lee went on to become the first Episcopal Bishop of Iowa in 1854.

Property at the corner of State and Dwight Streets was acquired in 1839 and a new church was built there. Among the names of those parishioners contributing to the building of the new parish church were Anna McNeill Whistler, wife of George Washington Whistler and mother of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the famous painter. The Whistler family rented Pew No. 9. The new church was a rectangular building with a square turreted cupola. The building was enlarged in 1851 after then rector, Abram Newkirk Littlejohn recognized the need to expand. In addition to more seating, the project added a chancel, vestry room and library. During the same time, a two-manual tracker-action organ (1833) by E and G.G. Hook was purchased from St. John's Church in Providence, RI, by the Ladies' Society for $687.50, with a promise for more. The Rev'd Littlejohn went on to become the first Bishop of Long Island, and in 1895, officiated at the wedding of Consuelo Vanderbilt and the 9th Duke of Marlborough at St. Thomas Church, New York City.

The parish continued to grow and by the 1870s when it was determined a larger church was needed, and the present church was built at a new site on Chestnut Street that was acquired in 1874. Construction began the same year and the first service was held on May 21, 1876. A new Processional Cross and Office Lights (all still in use today) were designed by the famous Henry Vaughan as early works by the now famous architect of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and produced by the famous Gorham company. The tower of the new church cracked early on and had to be removed. It was rebuilt in 1927.

The first convention of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts met at Christ Church on November 19, 1901.[5] On February 7, 1929, Christ Church became the diocesan Cathedral. The Very Rev'd Dr. John M. McGann, who had been rector up to that point, became the first Cathedral Dean.

See also

Media related to Christ Church Cathedral (Springfield, Massachusetts) at Wikimedia Commons

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Mindy Arbo; Elizabeth Amadon. "NRHP Nomination Form:Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District" (PDF). National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
  3. "Christ Church Cathedral, Springfield". Diocese of Western Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  4. "Our History". Christ Church Cathedral. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  5. "Western Massachusetts, Diocese of". Episcopal Church. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
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