Congdon Street Baptist Church

The Congdon Street Baptist Church is an historically African American church at 17 Congdon Street in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. In its early years the congregation was part of the African Union Meeting and Schoolhouse.

Congdon Street Baptist Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
(2012)
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Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°49′42″N 71°24′25″W
Built	1874
Architect	Hartshorn & Wilcox
Architectural style	Italianate
Part of	College Hill Historic District (ID70000019)
NRHP reference No.	71000032[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 21, 1971
Designated NHLDCP	November 10, 1970

Description and history

The congregation was established in 1819 and originally met in a building located near the present site, the land having been given to them by Moses Brown. The building was torn down in 1869 without the congregation's knowledge or approval by white neighbors. The present building, a single-story Italianate structure, was built in 1874–75. The eaves and gables are decorated with sawn woodwork that resembles brick corbeling. The windows along the long sides of the building are tall sash windows with a segmented-arch top, while the street-facing gable end has a three-part round-arch window. The stages of the square tower repeat the corbel woodwork at each level. The church is set into a hill, exposing a full brick basement, through which entrance to the building is gained. The interior is decorated with plain Victorian woodwork and stenciling on the walls.^[2]

The architects were Hartshorn & Wilcox.^[3] Hartshorn was the successor of Thomas A. Tefft and this church echoes many of his designs.

In December 1968, 65 Black students from Brown University marched down College Hill to the Congdon Street Baptist Church. They remained in the church for three days,^[4] as a protest of the small number of Black students admitted to the University as well as a lack of institutional support.^[5]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 for its architectural significance,^[1] and is part of the College Hill Historic District

Gallery

• 
  View from the west in 2012
• 
  View from the south in 2021, showing the deterioration of the exterior

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island