USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > Half-century history of the Farmington Avenue Congregational Church > Part 5
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The location of the new church building was a very important matter, and received the most careful consideration. The advantages of a site on the south side of Farmington Avenue and west of Park River were by no means overlooked ; but a location east of the river was found to be far more acceptable to the congregation. On the 30th of June the committee were instructed by the Society to purchase one of the Goodwin lots, so-called, on the corners of Farmington Avenue and Woodland Street. The decision between these two lots was perplexing, for while the com- mittee favored the east lot, the sum involved in the purchase was large, as it had a frontage of 341
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feet on Farmington Avenue and the owner, the Rev. Francis Goodwin, was unwilling to divide the prop- erty. So they were impelled toward the choice of the west lot. It may be of interest to future generations to know that the pastor came within one stanza of a hymn of giving out a notice calling a Society meeting to consider this conclusion, but he was then bidden by the chairman of the committee to withhold it. Dur- ing the following week they secured an offer of $13,- 000 for the east portion of the desired lot, which re- duced the price of the church lot to $14,500, and on the 19th of July this purchase was authorized by the Society. At the same time a building committee was appointed consisting of Messrs. William P. Wil- liams, Jonathan B. Bunce, Leverett Brainard, Charles R. Burt, Henry H. Goodwin, Ward W. Jacobs, Archi- bald A. Welch, Lyman B. Brainerd, and Arthur L. Shipman. These gentlemen immediately set about the arduous task of church building. Other churches were examined, some of them the most highly praised modern structures in various parts of the country. Special consideration was given to the amphitheatre style of auditorium, but it was not thought to be best suited to the conditions. On the 5th of August, 1897, Mr. Ernest Flagg of New York was selected as the architect, and from that time to the Ist of May, 1898, when ground was broken, the committee were occu- pied in securing plans, with the usual delays inci- dental to such an undertaking.
The first event of special interest in the history of the Farmington Avenue Congregational Church was the laying of its corner-stone. This occurred at five o'clock on the afternoon of July 2, 1898. The order of
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service was as follows: The Lord's Prayer and Invo- cation, Rev. Francis Goodwin ; Hymn, " The Church's One Foundation "; Reading of Scripture, Psalms, 1xxxiv and cxxii, Rev. George M. Stone, D.D., pastor of the Asylum Avenue Baptist church; Reading the list of documents deposited within the stone,* Deacon
* The following is a list of the articles and documents contained in a copper box, which is sealed in a cavity of the corner-stone, with the key on the cover: I, Copy of the Articles of Association, signed at the forma- tion of the Pearl Street Congregational Society; 2, List of the twenty-six original members of the society; 3, List of the subscribers to the building fund of the Pearl Street Church, March, 1851; 4, Copy of the address de- livered by the Rev. W. W. Turner at the laying of the corner-stone of the Pearl Street Congregational Church, August 2, 1851 ; 5, List of the con- tents of the box deposited in the corner-stone of the Pearl Street Church, August 2, 1851 ; 6, Printed list of the ninety-one original members of the Pearl Street Congregational Church, organized October 15, 1852 ; 7, Man- uals of the church for 1859, 1870, and 1878; 8, Parish registers of 1885, 1888, and 1890, with additions to July 2, 1898 ; 9, A manuscript calendar of events in the history of the Pearl Street Church from 1851 to 1898 ; 10, Copy of the records of Society meetings at which action was taken concerning the removal and the building of a new edifice; 11, List of the present members of the Pearl Street Congregational Society; 12, Picture of the proposed new edifice of the Pearl Street Congregational Society, and a copy of the Hartford "Times" of March 30, 1898, in which the same was printed; 13, Plan of the pews of the Pearl Street Church; 14, A collection of programs of special services held in the church; 15, Constitution, topic cards, and lists of members of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor of the church ; 16, Catalogues of the Sunday-school library, 1875, 1881, and 1889; 17, Several printed sermons preached in the Pearl Street Church ; 18, A Bible used in the Pearl Street Church since 1852; 19, The picture of the Rev. Elias R. Beadle, D.D., the first pastor of the Pearl Street Church ; 20, Photograph of the Rev. William L. Gage, D.D .; 21, The Congregational Year Book of 1898; 22, Connecticut Minutes of 1897; 23, Manual of the City of Hartford for 1898 ; 24, Geer's Directory, 1897; 25, A fac simile of " The Connecticut Courant " of October 29, 1764, and " The Con- necticut Courant " of June 30, 1898; 26, "The Religious Herald " of June 30, 1898; 27, Copies of the Hartford daily papers of July 2, 1898 ; 28, The Or- der of Service at the laying of the corner-stone, July 2, 1898; 29, List of the contents of the box deposited in the corner-stone. In addition to the fore- going, there were also such photographs of the deceased and living officers of the church as could be secured from the pastor's collection on that day.
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William P. Williams, chairman of the building com- mittee; Laying of the corner-stone, reading of the Service, by Rev. W. DeLoss Love, and address, by Hon. Nathaniel Shipman; Prayer, Rev. Joseph H. Twichell, pastor of the Asylum Hill Congregational church; Hymn, " Christ is our Corner-Stone "; Bene- diction. A good audience was gathered on this occa- sion, although the day was excessively hot, and the exercises were most impressive. The corner-stone is located at the southwest corner of the building, and is marked with the dates 1851 and 1898. A place was prepared near it for the corner-stone box of the Pearl Street church, should it ever be recovered, and this purpose has since been carried out.
The address delivered by the Hon. Nathaniel Ship- man was as follows :
" The Ecclesiastical Society, in whose name will be placed the legal title of this land, has requested me to lay the corner-stone of the structure which, in due time, will be erected here and dedicated to the worship of God. The society, which is the trustee of its prop- erty solely for religious uses, has deemed that the best service which it can render for the religious prosperity of Hartford, is to build a church upon this plateau which has become a residential part of the city, and upon whose new streets the homes of its inhabitants will be hereafter added with increasing rapidity. We have come here in no spirit of rivalry, or of competi- tion with our brethren of the same fold or of other folds, but because we believe that the numerical en- largement of population in this vicinity will require an additional religious home.
" This city is developing not only in material pros-
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perity, but in everything which tends to its means of comfort, its health, and its beauty. It is meet that fit and adequate provision should be made for the high- est needs of its citizens, a Christian education and the knowledge of God as manifested in the life of His Son. Such a knowledge, the highest and most glorious which man can reach after, this church, with the other churches of the vicinage, will strive to gain, and to gain by Christian co-operation and unity, a unity which will not be theoretical, but actual.
" It is a dream of mine that some time in the near future a more perfect system of organization will be attained, which will unify the entire church catholic. Till then we seek to continue, in the language of the Rev. Mr. Turner, who delivered the address at the laying of the corner-stone of the present church in August, 1851, 'to worship God after the manner of our fathers, holding the same faith and resting upon the same platform,' and in a spirit which rejoiceth in an increasing unity of the Church of Christ, in love to God, and to our fellow-men.
" To certify that the objects which this ecclesiastical organization has in view in the erection of a church are spiritual, and not temporal, that they are to pro- mote the worship of God, and the highest welfare of man, these services have been held. I cannot signify them more clearly than in the language of the Rev. Dr. Hawes when he laid the corner-stone of the present Pearl Street Church and used, in substance, the words which I reverently follow :
""' I do in the name and in behalf of the Ecclesias- tical Society lay the corner-stone of the church to be erected here and to be dedicated to the cause of evan-
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gelical truth and righteousness, and to the glory of the only living and true God - the Triune Jehovah - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And may this corner- stone remain in strength, in durability, and precious- ness a symbol of the true Corner-Stone which God has laid in Zion, and on which His Church rests in per- fect, everlasting security.'"
The foundations of the new edifice had been scarcely completed when the enterprise suffered a grievous calamity in the death of Deacon William P. Williams, chairman of the building committee, who was seriously injured in an accident and died on the 18th of September. He had long been one of the most efficient officers of the church, was from the first much engaged in the removal, and was well fitted for the position he held on the building committee, having both the natural attainments for conducting such a work and the confidence of his associates. His place was filled on the 30th of September by the choice of Mr. Archibald A. Welch, whose father and grand- father had been connected with the Pearl Street Church, and who carried forward the work of building the new edifice with ability and success.
At last, after months of waiting, during which the work of the Pearl Street Church was continued as usual in its dearly loved sanctuary, the time came to vacate it. The closing exercises consisted of a Memorial Service held on the 25th of June, 1899, at which the pastor read portions of a history of the Pearl Street Church, now published in a revised form ; and the farewell service of the last Sunday, July 2d, closing with the celebration of the Lord's Supper. At this service the pastor's theme was: "The Birthplace
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of the Sons of Zion," the text being the 5th verse of the 87th Psalm: "And of Zion it shall be said, this and that man was born in her : and the Highest him- self shall establish her." There were large audiences at both services, and in the congregation many who had once attended the church were reverent listeners. In anticipation of this event the Pearl Street Congre- gational Church had, at a meeting held on the 29th of June, unanimously passed the following vote : "That in pursuance of the recommendation of the Prudential Committee the name of this church is now changed, and that it shall hereafter, from and after July 3, 1899, be known as and called the Farmington Avenue Con- gregational Church." The special committee which had been duly authorized by the Society, then exe- cuted a deed in accordance with their agreement, and the Pearl Street Church passed into the possession of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. Its owners decided to tear it down and erect on the site a building for business purposes. This was of course expected, but it was the removal of a well-known edifice in which the public had an interest, and the demolition brought sorrow to many, and to none more than to those who had been interested in bringing it to pass. The summer of 1899 will probably be long remembered by those who thronged the street, forget- ting their engagements and neglecting their business, in the fascinating expectation that they would see the famous spire fall. This event occurred at twenty-one minutes past five o'clock on the afternoon of the twenty-sixth of August.
The first service in the Farmington Avenue Con- gregational Church was held September 10, 1899.
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The edifice was filled to its utmost capacity. The theme of the pastor's discourse was "The Church Home," from the text, Proverbs xxvii : 8, "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place." It was thought best for various reasons to delay the Dedication Service some weeks, and this event occurred on the evening of the 3Ist of October. The Rev. Dr. Edwin P. Parker, pastor of the South Congregational Church, presided on this occasion, and the program of the service was as follows: Organ Prelude, Pastorale, Foote; Introduc- tion to Worship; Doxology; Prayer of Invocation, Rev. Edwin P. Parker, D.D .; Anthem, "Except the Lord Build the House," Gilchrist ; Responsive Service, Rev. Joseph H. Twichell ; Scripture Lesson, Rev. F. S. Hatch, Monson, Mass .; Hymn ; Sermon, Rev. Jona- than L. Jenkins, D.D., Portland, Me .; Anthem, "O Come, Every One that Thirsteth," Mendelssohn ; Pres- entation of the Keys by the Building Committee, Mr. Archibald A. Welch; Reception of the Keys in behalf of the Society, Deacon Charles R. Burt; Service of Dedication, the Pastor and People ; Prayer of Dedica- tion, Rev. Heber H. Beadle, Bridgeton, N. J .; Hymn of Dedication, "O Thou, whose own vast Temple Stands "; Benediction, Rev. Chester D. Hartranft, D.D., President of the Hartford Theological Seminary; Organ Postlude, Coronation March, Svendson.
One of the pleasantest features of this service was the presence of the only living ex-pastor of the Pearl Street Church, Rev. Dr. Jenkins, who preached an appropriate sermon from the text "He hath built us a synagogue." Luke vii : 5. The first pastor of the Church, Rev. Dr. Beadle, was also represented by
INTERIOR -FARMINGTON AVENUE CHURCH
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his son, and the Rev. Dr. Gage, the third pastor, by his son-in-law, Rev. Mr. Hatch.
It was in grateful remembrance of the two pastors who had finished their earthly service that the build- ing committee placed upon the interior walls of the Church memorial tablets. Thus would their names be associated with the new sanctuary as they had been with that in which they had served. One is on the east of the main entrance and reads as follows :
In Memory of REV. ELIAS ROOT BEADLE, D.D., LL.D.
FIRST PASTOR of the PEARL STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Born, 1812.
1852-1863. Died, 1879.
The other, which is on the west of the main en- trance, reads :
In Memory of REV. WILLIAM LEONARD GAGE, D.D.
THE HONORED AND BELOVED PASTOR
OF THE PEARL STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
FOR SIXTEEN YEARS 1868-1884. Died, 1889.
Born, 1832.
The chairman of the building committee, Mr. Archibald A. Welch, in passing over the keys of the Church to the representatives of the Ecclesiastical Society in the dedication service, spoke as follows :
" The formal transfer of a new church like this
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from the care of the building committee to that of the society's committee is usually accompanied by a history of the edifice, and in handing over the keys to-night I will briefly describe the birth and growth of this Farmington Avenue Congregational Church. When it was decided, two years ago, to remove from our old site to this location, the responsibility of building and equipping a new church edifice was delegated to a building committee consisting of Jonathan B. Bunce, Leverett Brainard, William P. Williams, Charles R. Burt, Ward W. Jacobs, Archibald A. Welch, Arthur L. Shipman, Henry H. Goodwin, and Lyman B. Brainerd, which committee unanimously appointed Deacon William P. Williams as its chairman. In the whole-hearted enthusiasm and untiring labor of Mr. Williams the plans for this building were completed and its construction begun. His sudden death threw upon others the duties which he so cheerfully and successfully performed.
"At this end of the nineteenth century, church or- ganization and work require a far different building from that needed early in the century, or even at the time when our old church was erected ; and that we might acquaint ourselves with the most modern ideas of church architecture, the building committee to- gether with Mr. Love visited many of the most re- cently built churches here in New England, New York, and even as far west as Detroit, and with the ideas thus gained we explained to our architect, Mr. Ernest Flagg of New York, what we deemed the essential features which the new Pearl Street Church should contain. Those who have had experience in building well know how early plans and specifications
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have to be pruned, and that many so-thought necessities are finally changed to unnecessary and too expensive luxuries. It is sufficient to say that our committee met the common lot of all building committees. With Mr. Flagg's help and that of Mr. Bartlett, the associ- ate architect, we finally adopted the plans which you now see carried out in this auditorium and the ad- joining rooms, and to our architects and to the general contractors, Messrs. Cutting, Bardwell & Company of Worcester, we are indebted for what we thoroughly believe will prove one of the most satisfactory church edifices in New England.
" I know no better way of describing the architec- ture of this church than to say that it is the amplifica- tion and adaptation of early Christian architecture to the requirements of twentieth century church work. The little Temple of St. John at Poitiers; France, a small baptistry built during the fifth century, may be called the prototype of this building, for it was the plan of this ancient church which prompted the de- sign of this modern one.
" The exterior of the building is in excellent propor- tion, and the walls and towers of rough brick, laid in pattern, rise in outlines which grow in beauty on the beholder, and present surfaces soft and pleasing in color. The masonry, which at first received such ridi- cule, will be found deservedly commanding the high- est praise for its artistic effect. This room, with all the modern appliances for heating and ventilating, furnishes us with an auditorium which has few if any superiors in this country, while the Sunday-School and parish house, thanks to the careful study given
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the plans by Mr. Love, are excellently adapted for all our church work.
"It is many years now since Hilborne Roosevelt and his successor Frank Roosevelt brought organ building and voicing to that state of perfection which placed in the front rank in this country the organs which bore that name. In the Roosevelt factory, however, as foremen in different departments were three or four men who, since the retirement of that early firm, have carried on a factory of their own. So it happens that in this new organ of ours from the factory of Müller & Abel of New York, we find those same qualities which stamped the old Roosevelt organs, and which make this one of the finest organs in the state .*
"It would be impossible to name all the contract- ors who have been employed on this building, but it is very pleasant, and only just to record the fact, that we have had not the slightest trouble with any one of them, with but one trifling exception, and in every instance all differences of opinion have been quickly and satisfactorily settled in personal interviews with- out the need of any arbitration.
" As a matter of public interest, I record the fact that this site, the building and equipment, including the value of all gifts to the church, have cost, in round
* An organ recital was given November 24, 1899, by the organist of the church, Mr. Benjamin W. Loveland, on the programme of which the instrument is more particularly described. It is a three-manual, pedal organ, containing thirty-five speaking stops, eleven in the great, twelve in the swell, eight in the choir, and four in the pedal organ, with seven couplers, twelve pedal movements and four mechanical accessories. It has a total of 2,378 pipes, and is so constructed that other stops can be added. The action is tubular pneumatic with a separate pallet for every pipe. The design of the case was furnished by Mr. Flagg, the architect of the church.
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numbers, $145,000, a sum which has been expended with the most rigorous economy.
" It is a most pleasant duty to record some of the gifts which this church has received. In loving mem- ory of him who was so long connected with this church and under whose care the building of this edifice was begun, the memorial door at the tower entrance was donated by his wife .* A former member of our con- gregation, Mrs. W. W. Converse, in memory of mem- bers of her family who formerly worshiped in the old church, has donated the pulpit furniture and the communion table.+ To Mrs. Nathaniel Shipman we are indebted for a gift of the deacons' chairs for the platform in front of the pulpit, and to her also, together with many other mothers in the congregation whose children have been baptized at this altar, are
* William Preston Williams was born in Brooklyn, Conn., Jan. 13, 1834, being the son of Caleb D. Williams and Florinda Preston. He united with the Pearl Street Church June 5, 1864, was elected deacon November 2, 1882, and chairman of the Society's Committee January 20, 1888, serv- ing in these offices until his death September 18, 1898. The donor, Mrs. Olive Gilbert Williams, united with the Pearl Street Church June 2, 1867. The design of the Memorial Doorway was the personal contribution of the architect, Mr. Ernest Flagg, and the carved relief above the doors was the work of Mr. Walter Griffin of Hartford. The plate bears the inscrip- tion : "Born, 1834- This Doorway was erected in memory of William Preston Williams - Died, 1898."
+ The communion table and the three pulpit chairs are of mahogany, and as a proper recognition of the gift each piece is marked with a silver presentation plate. The table bears the name of the donor's mother, Julia A. Foster Spencer, who united with the Pearl Street Church April 4, 1858, and died November 4, 1884; the pastor's chair the name of a brother, Henry Edwin Spencer, who united June 6, 1858, and died January 15, 1879 ; and the side chairs the names of a sister, Ellen A. Spencer Brown, who united June 6, 1858, and died August 2, 1898, and an aunt, Caroline Spencer, who united October 2, 1864, and died April 25, 1893. The donor, Julia Isabel Spencer Converse, became a member of the Pearl Street Church June 6, 1858.
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we grateful for this beautiful baptismal font .* The . class of Chinese men and boys which has met for so long with us desired to express their gratitude to this church and most generously donated the reading desk in the Sunday-School room. +
"Mr. G. A. Parker, the superintendent of Keney Park, volunteered his services in planning the grad- ing of the grounds and gave lavishly of his time and labor as his contribution. Many other smaller gifts have found their way into this building, brought here by loving hands, and for these as well as for all that have been mentioned, this church is deeply grateful.
" In this transplanting we wished to preserve asso- ciations of the old building to make this Farmington Avenue Church the heir of all the history of the Pearl Street Church, and what more effectual way could be found than by placing on yonder wall memorial tab- lets to those two men who will be eternally associated with all that was loved in the old building ?
" In closing let me say that all the Christian virtues were not monopolized by the various contractors on this edifice. This building committee itself, com- posed of men of varying tastes and differing ideas re-
* The project to secure a baptismal font for the Pearl Street Church was inaugurated February 16, 1897, when an unsolicited gift for the pur- pose was received from the daughter of one of its former deacons. The removal being decided upon soon afterwards, it was thought best to make the font a memorial of the little ones who had been baptized in that sanc- tuary. Gifts were received from fifty-seven persons, and the names of seventy-six children are inscribed on a memorial roll preserved in the archives of the church. The font is of white marble, and the design was furnished by the architect of the new church, Mr. Ernest Flagg. It cost $240. The only inscription upon it is " In Memory of Our Little Ones."
+ This reading desk is of oak, and is marked with a silver presentation plate on which is the inscription, " The Gift of Our Chinese Pupils, 1899."
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garding ecclesiastical necessities, has pulled together as a unit in this work with a single aim, the good of the church ; and in resigning my post I wish to extend to them my heartiest thanks and assure them of my appreciation of their unselfish forbearance with all 'views which did not coincide with their own.
" And in handing over the keys to your care let us express the hope that this church may do its full share towards hastening that time described by the Master, when ' Ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father,' towards that time when 'The true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.'"
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