First Congregational Church of Oregon City explained

First Congregational Church of Oregon City
Coordinates:45.355°N -122.6036°W
Built:1925
Architect:Tobey, Willard F.
Builder:Andrews, W.D., Construction Co.
Architecture:Twentieth Century Gothic
Added:August 26, 1982
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:82003723

The First Congregational Church of Oregon City, also known as Atkinson Memorial Congregational Church, is a historic building located at 6th and John Adams Sts. in Oregon City, Oregon. The congregation was formed in 1844 as a non-denominational Protestant congregation. In 1892 they affiliated with the Congregational Christian Church from the local Congregational Society that had been formed in 1849 from the 1844 congregation.[1] The present building was constructed in the Gothic Revival style in 1925 after the previous building had been destroyed in a fire in 1923. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

It is historically important as a landmark in Oregon City and, according to its NRHP nomination, "as thefullest expression of an architectural type in which the architect, Willard F. Tobey, specialized and for its outstanding array of pictorial stained glass."[2] The stained glass windows were designed by Portland's Povey Brothers Studio.[2] [3] In 1961 the congregation became affiliated with Unitarian Universalism, and they changed their name to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Willamette Falls in 2016.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History. Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Willamette Falls. 2018-04-23.
  2. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=82003723}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: First Congregational Church of Oregon City / Atkinson Memorial Congregational Church ]. December 8, 1981. National Park Service. 2013-09-29. And
  3. "Church To Be Dedicated; Elaborate Features Embodied in Structure, in Which Services Will Be Held Today" (February 1, 1925). The Sunday Oregonian, p. 6. Excerpt: "Among the outstanding characteristics of the new church is its series of artistic memorial windows ... made by Povey Brothers of Portland."