First Baptist Church of Boston
August 22nd, 2007
Click photos for more detail.
One of Commonwealth Avenue Mall's remarkable buildings, also known as the Brattle Square church, was H. H. Richardson's first use of the style now known as Richardson Romanesque.
At the top of the tower is a frieze of sculpted figures representing baptism, communion, marriage and death, carved
by Italian artists. It includes the faces of prominent Bostonians such us Sumner, Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne. [*]
Shortly after this building was erected, Richardson entered and won a competition for the design of Trinity Church in Copley Square, and that building is now considered to be his masterpiece.
Below: Looking north on Commonwealth Ave. The church is right behind us. Boston's gorgeous Public Garden is just two blocks away.
