- Fo1O-3OOJuly 1969

A-

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORNATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESINVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM.:

Type all entries complete applicable sections

STREET AND NUMBER: . . . . . .

Dprrance and WashingtonStreets, 1 H :1 -

STATE CODE

Rhode Island, 02903 1414

STATE: -

Rhode IslandCOUNTY,

ProvidenceFOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER DATE

COMMON: . t . . - .-._ . .. *.

St. Stephen’s Church - . ,..-:

AND/OR HISTORIC:

;.::.:. 2 . .. .c:: :*:.c*1

STREET AND NUMBER: ..; . . .

::llli George Street . .. . -.. . .. .

CATEGORYCheck One

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District

Site

Q

t Buildi Q Public ".r

Structre Private.

Ob.ct Q Both

I:

Pób

.

Ic A

0o

cquisition: . r.

In Process.

Being Considered .,

.,

K’j Occupied .

0 Unoccupied .

Q Preservation work

inprogress--

CP

Yes:

Restricted

Unrestricted

No

PRESENT USE Check One or More as Appropriate . .

0 Comments

[4. OWNER OF PROPERTYOWNER’S NAME: . ,. .. . 5

Ste Stephen’s ChurchSTREET AND NUMBER

1114 George Street ...

CITY OR TOWN: .

Providence

I!ITL oc AflON OF LEGAL DESCRIP T

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.. .. . . :. . . STATE:

Rhode Island, 02906CO E

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ItTITLE OF SURVEY::- .Historic American Buildings Surve . . .

DATE OF SURVEY: 1962 . . .. Federal State 0 County ‘- 0 Local -

DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: . . . . . . .

Library of Congress .:. I . *- . . .-t

STREET AND NUMBERI.

. : . ‘ . .

Independence *venue,and1st Street; S E. Y-. : .

CITY OR TOWN: . - STATE: - CODE - - HWashington t.1p:t # ij:*r h:.- District of Columbia-1, fl

-

6.

CITY OR TOWN:

--ProvidenceSTATE

Rhode Island, 02906

2

OWNERSHIP STATUSACCESSIBLE

TO THE PUBLIC

C Agricultural

0 Commercial

C Educational

C Entertainment

C Government. 0 0 TransportatIon -,

Q Industrial- C. Private Residence 0 Other Specify-

Q Mhtory Reltglous

___________________

Q Museum - Q Scientific .-

COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OFDEEDS. ETC:

City Hall

CITY OR TOWN:

Providence

tEPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS

710

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In

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0zr-C

j Excellent C Good C Fair C Deteriorated C Ruins C Unexposed

C Altered Unaltered - C Moved - Original SiteDESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL if known PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

- Built betweeni 1860 and 1862, St. Stephen’s-Church is an interesting example of Riôhard Upjohn’s later Gothic churches. It standsseparatedfrom the street by an iron and stone fence and a narrowplanjing strip, with some sheltering trees. -

Its large rectangular,mass 120 feet wide, east to west, by 100- - feet deep is rendered picturesque by the arrangementof Its southern

section which contains the entrance-narthex at the southwest, a "lady

chapel," and a slightly projecting tower at the southeast. The longgabled roof; the corner tower; the buttressedwalls of gray Smithfieldstone in regular coursed ashlar; the granite foundations; and the brown-stone trim of belt courses, gable copings, pinnacles, and hood mould- --

ings of doors and windows are all intended to contribute to the im- pression of a sizable, but relatively simple, DecoratedGothic church - -. - -

of nediaeval-England. - - - -

The main entrance is framed by a brownstonearch and surmountedby a trefoil tympanum windowe The double doors are of oak, handsomely -

relief-carved with figures in Gothic niches. The mullioned lancet windows of the main church and the chapel are tall at the ground level butmuch shorter in the clerestory. They are filled with painted glass.The roof is of gable-plus-shedform, covered with contrasting bands of--pale green and reddish brown tile. The Smithfield stone tower risesone story above the eaves-line. Upjohn intended this to have a stone,spire rising to iSo feet; funds were not available for this purposeuntfl 1899, by which time the original quarry was exhausted. In 1900 ft

Hoppin and Ely compromisedby adding corner pinnacles as transition toa shorter copper-clad spire. - - - -

Within the church, the narthex leads immediately into the lady- chapel along the- south wall ann then into the nave. The five-bay nave

- -

- -has three aisles and terminates at the east in an apsidal choir, acharacteristic of later Upjohn churches. There is no transept. The - -

nave arcadesare supportedby round or octagonal stone columns. The -

nave is separated-fromthe chapel by a glazed arcadewhose curvilinear’HGothic tracery incorporates as part d’ its design a simple- rose-windowmotif. The arcade windows can be tilted to allow an overflow congre- -

gation in, the chapel to participate in the service of the main church.

The flooring in the main nave is of square earth-colored ceramic -

tile; it is of-wood and tile in the chapel. Walls and ceilings through- -

put are of painted plaster, with much dark-stained wood used in con

trast and in apparent supnort of them. The arched wooden roof trusses - --

are exposed; and a high, simply-panelled moulded wainscot skirts bothnave and chapel. The woodwork in and around the chancel,’Oonsiderab].ymore elaborate than the original 1860’s work, was designed by the Boston:;

architect Henry Vaughan, who also completed the pulpit, rood screen.,choir stalls, altar and reredos--all of oak richly carved in the - - -

DecoratedEnglish Gothic style--in 1883.- Apax’ish house to the westotJthe churèhwas designed by Martin and Hail and comp eted by 1901.- --

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dELL. j

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CONOIT ION

DESCRIPTION -

Check One

Check One - I - Check-One - -

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C,.:

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CM,- - - - -

0C

PERIOD Check One or More as Appropriate

C Pre.Columblan

STATEMENTOFSIGNIFICANCE - - , - --

St.Stephen’ Church is significant both as a characteristic - --

example of Richard Upjohn’s mature Gothic Revival church design and as -ia Providence landmark. -

Upjohn, the Lforemost proponent of the Gothic style,f or ecclesiastical buildings in mid-nineteenth-centuryAmerica, and best known for ‘

his Trinity Church in New York lSLt6, continued to develop-the form,plan and intended usage of the DecoratedGothic city church throughout Ihis career. He appearsto have been influenced by both the "ethical"

.and the romantic aspects of the Gothic Revival. Generally his churches -

are authentically Gothic in proportion, though not in construction, andadmirably adaptedto the liturgical needs of the newly-affirmed HighAnglican Church. They do, however, sacrifice illumination to religious -

ideas of sanctity ãn&to romantic not historical ideas of "gloom."-

St. Stephen’s Church, indeed,is locally called "Smoky Steve’s" by -

reason of this "gloom," to which the dark woodwork, painted glass, -

small clerestory windows, and frosted glass of the chapel arcade all - .t -

-contribute. Such romantic shadow is a radical stylistic departure -

from the luminous geometric clarity of earlier colonial meeting houses,-s- as is the romantic use of unpainted wood. Another stylistic change

from earlier American architecture is the use of asymmetry; the tower- and spire of St. Stephen’a are placed picturesquely in the corner ofthe mass. - - - - -

- St. Stephen’s Church is essentially a city church, although built-’- in a residential area. In its tight oblong niche--which is, however, - -

no longer in an area of private residenceshut, rather, closely hemmedby twentieth-century pseudo-Georgianbuildings of Brown University--the church today appearsas an enframedwork of art, like those whichstill pleasantly stai’tle one in English or Europeancities. Beyond ‘ -

that, it continues to house an active religious organization whichserves not only the descendantsof its first parishioners but also the -

adjacent college community and, today, a further congregationof variedraces and classes. By association with Upjohn the.,building is important; in consideration -of what it has contained, contains now and will -

- contain and serve in future, it attains equal or even higher importance.

‘--

.- "-V. -"-----

C 15th Century. -

C 16th Century

C 17th CenturyC 18th Century

- 19th Century

- - C 20th Century

‘SPECIFIC DATEISI If Applicable andKnown 1860-1862 - - ‘-,:‘‘ -

AREAS or SIGN’ FICANCE Check One or More a. Approprl.tà -:

Abor iginol - D Education -- C Political - ‘ . C Urban Planning

C Prehistoric’- --- C Engineering

- -1 C Religion/Phi C Other Specify

C Historic- C Industry - - losophy - T:’’ - -

C Agriculture C Invention - C Science

J Architecture- C Landscape C Sculpture - . I ,. v’ - -

- C Art - Architecture - -- C Social/Human. - -,

________________________

- -

C Commerce C Literature itarion -

- C Communications- C Militory - - - - C Theater - : -

C Conservotion C Music C Transportation

________________________

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:

Cady, ‘John Hutchins: The Civic and Architectural Development of Provi- -

defoe, 1636-1950 Providence, Rhode Island, 1957, p. 137.Catir, Norman Joseph,Jr.: Saint Stephen’s Church in Providence. -The -

History ... 1839-196b Providence, Rhode Island, 1961t, pp. 31*-lu, -

61-62, 85-86. - -

Overby, Osmund: Histric American Buildings Survey, #RI-l89, St. -

Stephen’s-Church 1962.Upjohn, Everard N.: Richard Upjohn, Architect and Churchman New Yozk,

1939, pp. 177, 201*.

‘GEOGAP,Hl’d’ALDATA-?--:-’

.-,+::, -: L,. :-*.*-,> -- ?,f-’

LATITUDE AND LONGiTUDE COORDINA TES0 DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY

ROF LESS THAN TEN ACRES

LATiTUDE AND LONGITuDE COORDINATESDEFINiNG A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY

CORNER LATITUDE LONGiTUDE

NW

NE

SE

SW

Degrees Minut., Seconds0 - I

0

0

O i

Degrees Minutes Second.0

a

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LATiTUDE - - LONGiTUDE

Degrees Minutes Seconds- hl,° Li9’32eO6t

Degrees Minutes Seconds71o 2li 6.1bM

APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NpMiNATED PROPERTY: Le than one acreILIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STAtE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES’

STATE: I -‘ - - CODE COUNTY -‘ - - I:- - I’ Ij - CODE

STATE:, -

-‘ CODE COUNTY: ‘ -- -: -- CODE

STATE: . CODE COUNTY: C - - ‘:" - - - CODE

STATE: - -- -, - CODE COUNTY: - - - - - CODE

---4

fit. EORMPREPAREOBY -

ST REET AND NUMBER: - - - - - - - - - -- - - -

State House; 90 Smith Streát ‘- - -- - - - - - - - - - - --

In

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NAME AND TITLE: - - - - - -

Ancelin Vofl Lynch,.Consultant -‘‘‘ - -

ORGANIZATION-

- DATE

Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission -- - tugust lli,-l97l

CITY OR TOWN: - - - - - --

Providence - --- - --

As the designated Stte Liaison Officer for the Na-tional Historic I’reaervation Act of 1966 Public Law

89-665, 1 hereby.nomiriate this pr$erty for inclus’ion -

in the National Register and certify that it has been

evaluated according to the criteria and procethires set

forth by the Natinal Park Service. The recommended- ----‘ -- ., --

level of significance of this nomination ‘a

- National‘

State] LOcF 0--I ri I,_ -

- ---‘r: F :nr.Fur._;,:.,,

Name -‘ -r- :..-,,..11’rf’- -

-- - - - - ---- ft ---‘‘ri’ "--_r

-‘-:- -

Title - - - - - -

- -- ‘-‘ ,‘:-:i -- - --.‘ - -

- Date - - - - ‘ -

STATE - - -- - - CODE

Rhode Island, 02903 - -

-- - ‘ - - . ?- - -

I herebycertify that this toperty’is-includedin the

NationalRe’glster. ‘C -r’- ‘‘-"--n - T --

t

- - - -

- Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic-Preservaliosi

‘-‘:ni’ ç;r,- 1:’- Jflfl ‘-i- - -

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Dat--"-’v -

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- - -

Keeper of The NatiaI Register -

- Date ‘ - - -

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- ----, -;:: - - -- OPO-sol T ii

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STA - - - -

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCOUNTY

PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NI’S USE ONLY

Typeall entries - attach to or enclosewith photograph ENTRY NUMBER DATE

Z*

...‘ .

o COMMON: St. Stephen’s Church- AND/OR HISTORIC:

I.- tOCAflO$u ITREET AND NUMBER:

lltt George StreetITY OR TOWN:

ProvidenceI- STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE

Rhode Island i1 Providence 007. .. .:.

- ‘HOTOCREDITe B. Christopher BeneDATE OF PHOTO: 1971

_____________________________________________

ILl IEGATIVEFILEDAT: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, State House,w 90 Smith Street Providence Rhode Island, 0290a-,

DESCRISE VIEW. DIRECTION. ETC.

Exterior main front from the south-west.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACESCOUNTY

- ProvidencePROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FORPIPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER DATETypeall entries - attach to or enclosewith photograph

z .. .:* ..*.

o COMMON: St. Stephen’s Church- AND/OR HISTORIC:

I- £cocATIaNITREET AND NUMBER:

lib George StreetCITY OR TOWN:

ProvidenceSTATE: I C DE ICOUNTY CODE

Rhode Island r.t!i 1 Providence 0Uz OTOREFERNCE- ‘HOTO CREDIT: B. Christopher Bene

DATE OF PHOTO: 1971ILl IEGATIVEFILEDAT: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Comission, State House,

90 Smith Street Providence Rhode Island, 02903an

DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION. ETC.

Nave, looking east.

- -:--._ n------- -

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1Form 10.301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE

July 1969 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Island

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY

ProvidencePROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

Type all entries- attachto or enclosewith mapENTRY NUMBER DATE

Z.

.. NAME s... <. *. :.. ... .f::.. ..... . .. *.. . .. . ....: . .

o jCOMMON: St. Stephen’s Church- I*b0R HISTORIC:

I- OCATI0N 1

STREET AND HUM BER:.

liii GeorgeStreetCITY OR TOWN:

ProvidenceSTATE: CODE COUNTY I CODE

Rhode Island Wi Providence roo’[MAP REFERENCE

- SOURCE:U. S. Geological Survey

LU SCALE: 1: 21i,000DATE: 1957

.REQUIR.EMENTSTO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS

1. Property broundori.s wher. r.qulr.d.

2. North arrow.

3. Latltud. and longitud. rsf.r.nce.