First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York)

The First Universalist Church is a historic Universalist church building located at 150 S. Clinton Ave. in Rochester, New York. Construction began in September 1907 and was dedicated in October 1908. First Universalist Church is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and is one of two Unitarian Universalist congregations in Monroe County, New York; the other being the First Unitarian Church of Rochester.

First Universalist Church
First Universalist Church, August 2008
First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York) is located in New York
First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York)
First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York) is located in the United States
First Universalist Church (Rochester, New York)
LocationSE corner of S. Clinton Ave. and Court St., Rochester, New York
Coordinates43°9′14″N 77°36′17″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1907 (1907)-1908
ArchitectBragdon, Claude Fayette
MPSInner Loop MRA: 13 
NRHP reference No.71000545[1]
Added to NRHPMay 27, 1971

Congregation, beliefs, and programs

The church conducts one weekly worship service on Sundays, virtually from March 2020 to November 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2021 they began hybrid worship services, with an online service (via Zoom) happening simultaneously with an in-person service in the building.

The church is diverse and inclusive, having, in the words of its web site, "no shared creed. Our shared covenant (our Seven Principles) supports “the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”  Though Unitarianism and Universalism were both liberal Christian traditions, some of us embrace diverse teachings from other faiths, hold humanist beliefs, or call ourselves atheists".

The church's mission statement is: "to nurture the spirit, and serve the community".

First Universalist ministers to their congregation, and the external community through a variety of active committees and teams such as:

  • The Board of Trustees
The indoor Black Lives Matter Banner at First Universalist Church of Rochester, hung in March 2019.

First Universalist is a Welcoming Congregation, and is recognized as such by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Matches our indoor BLM Banner!
Hanging of the outdoor Black Lives Matter banner on 9/1/19.

First Universalist releases a small digital weekly email concerning church events. They also have monthly newsletter, titled "Our Outlook", that is published on their website as well as sent out physically. Archives of both these publications, along with archives of past sermons and annual reports, can be found on their website.

Black Lives Matter

During the summer of 2020, First Universalist congregation members supported local Black Lives Matter protests both before and after the news of Daniel Prude's death at the hands of the Rochester Police Department was made public.[2] Initially they hosted a table of supplies and made the church restroom available. As the protests lasted into the fall of 2020, First Universalist began hosting the Rochester Street Medic Collective.

The medics were hosted in the Clara Barton lounge area of the building, off the parking lot. The medics used this site as a home base for storing supplies and an ad hoc site for medical treatment. Water, food, and other supplies were still being distributed to protestors and medics by church members at this time.

Architecture

It was designed by noted Rochester architect Claude Fayette Bragdon, and is in the Romanesque Revival style. It is of brick with stone and ceramic tile trim and features a central tower and lantern with pyramidal roofs.[3]: 2–3  The Library of Congress notes describe the building architecture as "Unified in concept, harmonious in proportions and color, the major portion of the structure remains essentially unaltered."[3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 27 May 1971.[1]

Little Free Library

First Universalist is home to a Little Free Library, which is regularly stocked with books, clothing, etc. for anyone to peruse or take. The roof suffered damage from an unknown source over the summer of 2019, and has since been shingled, rebuilt, and reinstalled as of September 2019.

Hope-Jones Organ

First Universalist Church of Rochester is home to a fully preserved Hope-Jones organ, which has been described as sounding "weighty and lush", with large-scaled 8′ stops.[4] Few Hope-Jones organs have survived to the present time.

View of the historic Hope-Jones organ in the First Universalist Church of Rochester from the sanctuary floor.
View of the historic Hope-Jones organ keys in the First Universalist Church of Rochester.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Desk, Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content. "Family releases video, papers after Black man in NY died in police custody from asphyxiation". WJAX. Retrieved 2021-03-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2015-11-01. Note: This includes Diana S. Waite (March 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: First Universalist Church" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-01. and Accompanying photographs
  4. Ortloff, Jonathan (Spring 2005). "A Robert Hope-Jones Organ in Rochester"(PDF). Resonance. Eastman School of Music: 15. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013.
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