The Old West Church

The Old West Church, standing at 131 Cambridge St, is one of the few surviving buildings of the historic West End. Since its opening in 1806, the building has served as a church, a library, a shelter, and a church again. It continues to hold masses and contribute to the Boston community today.

The West Church congregation was established in 1737, when it was led by its first minister, William Hooper. As the tensions between the American colonies and Britain grew, the church took its stance against the British crown. Its second minister, Jonathan Mayhew, who was ordained in 1747, preached justice against tyrants and was close with many members of the revolutionary movement, such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The church was one of the highest spots in Boston and in 1775 British forces destroyed its spire to prevent American colonists from signaling to Washington’s forces based across the river in Cambridge.

In 1806, the West Church’s fourth minister, Charles Lowell, commissioned architect Asher Benjamin to replace the old church, still bearing signs of damage by the British, with one in a Federal style. That church still stands today in the West End and maintains its original design, consisting of a three and a half story brick tower, and topped with a small dome. Each level is trimmed with white wood. On the first story, the front of the church is lined with three entry doors, each with a window above. On the second story, there are four pairs of doric pilasters and on the third story, clocks adorn each face of the tower. There is an emphasis on symmetry which is a common trait found in other federal style buildings in New England.

Charles Lowell was an advocate for the abolition movement and ended the segregation of seating during church services. The Old West Church was open as a safehouse before the Civil War as part of the Underground Railroad network. In addition to supporting the abolition movement, Lowell began providing Sunday school for both rich and poor children.

In 1887, the Old West Church was disbanded and the building was brought by Andrew Wheelwright to prevent its demolition. In 1896, the building was converted to a public library and served in that capacity for over 60 years. From 1919 through 1957, Fanny Goldstein served as the head librarian of the West End branch of the Boston Public Library based in the church. Throughout both World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Korean War, the library extended its hours to act as a shelter for the impoverished during difficult times. Goldstein was the first Jewish woman to run a library in Massachusetts and provided literacy service for immigrants and hosted Jewish Book Week to educate the public on the Jewish faith and culture.

Today, the Old West Church is still open for Sunday worship and contributes to the community through its urban food forest. The food forest was found by Pastor Sara Garrard in partnership with Boston Food Forest Coalition, Northeastern University, and Food Solutions New England. This community food forest consists of a variety of perennial herbs, vegetables, and berries growing in a strip of land in front of the church. The garden is designed to be low maintenance without the need for replanting by mimicking woodland ecosystems. The harvests contribute to their weekly community meals and hopefully to the local food pantries in the future.