First Church, Unitarian Universalist

Jamaica Plain, MA

Designed by Nathaniel Bradlee in 1854, the First Church is an excellent example of Gothic Revival-style church architecture.  A Parish House addition was constructed at the rear of the church in the Shingle Style in 1890.

Our work with the church encompasses existing conditions assessment, exterior preservation, accessibility improvements, tower clock restoration, and master planning.

First Church Jamaica Plain Under construction
Centre Street Elevation, First Church

Gothic window Clock before restoration Clock after restoration
Exterior preservation work included masonry repointing, slate roof repair and replacement, installation of new lead-coated copper flashing and gutters, painted glass window restoration, and clock restoration.  Repair to the wood windows in the tower first began with a condition assessment for each window.  Upon determining the level of repair (or, in some instances, replacement), each window was treated appropriately.   

The wood clock face was restored to its original appearance of gold leaf numerals and minutes on a black smalt background. Smalting is an old signpainter's process where the wood surface is prepared to receive a rather viscous paint. Then shards of black glass are sprinkled onto the surface. When the paint dries the glass is locked into place forming a durable black surface that maintains its rich black color long after normal paint would fade. The clock mechanism, an early Howard and Davis clock from 1853, was carefully removed and missing metal parts were handmade and inserted. The fully functional clock includes a hammer mechanism for striking the hours

Accessible sloped walkway Accessible restroom

As part of the church’s mission to be open to all, accessibility was an important aspect of their building improvement campaign.  Prior to the construction work, the church was not accessible.  All of the entrances to the building featured steps, and there were no ramps. 

The design of the accessible entrance includes an elevated walkway from the convergence of two sidewalks that transitions into a ramp, and then rises to the level of the entry porch.  The guardrail balusters, newel posts, and top rail were all created to match existing ironwork on the site.  The walls below the ramp are faced in Quincy granite and are topped with granite parapets that match the existing stone and water table of the church building. 

In addition to creating an accessible entrance to the building, the church also renovated an existing janitor’s closet into a universally accessible restroom.  Historically appropriate finishes were applied in the new restroom.  The wood beadboard wainscotting matches that found in the adjacent church hallway, and the picture rail molding matches moldings found elsewhere in the church. 

First Church embarked on the master planning process in Fall 2002 to examine means of better utilizing their space to meet their growing needs.  The church and KidsArts!, a non-profit afterschool education program for children that is the church's primary tenant, worked with the architects to establish a preliminary program of needs and define the scope of work to address those needs.  The architects then synthesized those needs and desires into conceptual planning options.