Beneficent Congregational Church

The Beneficent Congregational Church is a United Church of Christ congregation of Congregationalist heritage at 300 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The congregation was founded in 1743 during the "First Great Awakening".

Beneficent Congregational Church
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°49′11″N 71°24′51″W
Built1809
ArchitectBarnard Eddy; John Newman; Tallman & Bucklin
Architectural styleGreek Revival
Part ofDowntown Providence Historic District (ID84001967)
NRHP reference No.72000035[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 13, 1972
Designated CPFebruary 10, 1984


Architectural style

The current church building is a brick Greek Revival structure which features a prominent dome. The current structure – the second Meeting House on this location – was built in 1810 and substantially altered in 1836 to a design by Tallman & Bucklin, giving it its present form.[2] This work was funded with a $30,000 donation from textile entrepreneur Henry J. Steere in honor of his father, Jonah Steere. Steere also gifted to the church a chandelier containing 5,673 pieces of Austrian crystal.

The church bears a striking similarity in style to the Massachusetts State House in Boston, designed by Charles Bulfinch. Prior to about 2007, the church's dome was covered with gold leaf which gave it a distinctive appearance. Due to weather damage to the gold leaf, the congregation voted in 1987 to replace the roof with more durable copper sheeting as part of a larger renovation project. This copper sheeting gives the dome its current green patina. The ceiling inside the Meeting House is curved at the edges, but doesn't indicate that the building is topped by a dome.[3]

Community engagement

A member of the United Church of Christ (UCC) denomination, Beneficent chose to become an "Open and Affirming" congregation in 2001. The church supports local and community ministries like the Providence Gay Men's Chorus, RPM Voices, and 12-step meetings, as well as overseas ministries managed by the regional and national UCC bodies.

  • 1886 engraving
  • A drawing of the church published in n1914
  • Night view, 2019
  • Side view of the building

Senior Pastors of Beneficent Congregational Church
  • Joseph Snow, Jr. (served 1743–1793)
  • James "Paddy" Wilson, M.A. (served 1793–1839)
  • Mark Tucker, D.D. (served 1839–1845)
  • John Payne Cleveland, D.D. (served 1846–1853)
  • Alexander Huntington Clapp, D.D. (served 1855–1865)
  • James Gardiner Vose, D.D. (served 1866–1901)
  • Asbury E. Krom (served 1901–1932)
  • Arthur Edward Wilson, D.D., L.H.D. (served 1933–1967)
  • Edward King Hempel, Jr. (served 1968–1970)
  • August Ralph Barlow, Jr. (served 1970–1997)
  • Richard Henry Taylor (served 1999–2006)
  • Nicole Grant Yonkman and Todd Grant Yonkman (served 2009–2016)
  • Elizabeth Chandler Felts (serving 2019–present)

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Beneficent Congregational Church" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  3. "About Our Historic Building". Beneficient Congregational Church. Retrieved 10 July 2019.


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