St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)

St. John's Episcopal Church is a historic church building at 1160 Main Street in East Hartford, Connecticut. It was designed by Edward T. Potter and was built in 1867, and is a prominent local example of High Gothic Revival executed in stone. Its congregation, begun as an Episcopal mission in 1854, has recently been merged into the St. John's Episcopal Church in Vernon. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]

St. John's Episcopal Church
St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut) is located in Connecticut
St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut) is located in the United States
St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
Location1160 Main St., East Hartford, Connecticut
Coordinates41°46′25″N 72°38′27″W / 41.77361°N 72.64083°W / 41.77361; -72.64083
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1867
ArchitectTuckerman, Edward Potter
Architectural styleGothic
NRHP reference No.83003567[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 28, 1983

Architecture and history

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St. John's occupies a prominent location in downtown East Hartford, occupying a lot bounded on three sides by Main Street (United States Route 5), Burnside Avenue (United States Route 44), and Rector Street. It is a large single-story brownstone structure, with a steeply-pitched polychrome slate roof, and a series of lancet-arched Gothic windows in the gable end facing the street. At the rear of the church, oriented perpendicular to its main axis, is a parish hall, built in 1912, in an early use of concrete blocks as a building material.[2]

The first Episcopal mission in East Hartford was established by students of Trinity College in 1842, but did not last. A second effort in 1852 was more successful, resulting in the formal establishment of the mission in 1854. Prior to the construction of this building, the congregation met in a variety of locations, and had several different names before settling on St. John's Church in 1868. Its first minister was John James McCook, a Trinity graduate. McCook served as the parish minister for 61 years, and was probably involved in the design and construction plans for the church. The church is one of a small number of works in Connecticut by Potter, who was a protégé of Richard Upjohn, and would attend services here.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b David F. Ransom and John Herzan (March 7, 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: St. John's Episcopal Church". National Park Service. and Accompanying 8 photos, exterior and interior, from 1982
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