Name/Title
Union Evangelical Church | Addison, MaineDescription
From Union Evangelical Church National Register Nomination Form:
Addison, Maine The Union Evangelical Church in Addison is a rectangular wooden frame building which combines elements of the Greek and Gothic Revival style in a general pattern that is repeated on a number of extant mid nineteenth century churches throughout the state. Constructed in the early1860s, this building is the third church on the site, the previous two having been erected in 1789 and 1839, respectively. It is eligible for nomination to the Register under Criterion C for its local architectural significance. Criteria Consideration A also applies because of the building’s religious affiliation.
According to local historians, a non denominational church was erected on the site of the present building in 1789. This was apparently the first religious structure built in Addison, which had been initially settled after the close of the Revolutionary War (it was not incorporated until 1796). The new building was named the Union Evangelical Meeting House. It stood until 1839 when it was destroyed by a gale, a not surprising fact given its exposed hilltop site. Preparations were made immediately to replace the church with a new one that, upon completion, is said to have had a capacity of between 500 and 600 persons. There is no known description of this building which was struck by lightning and destroyed in 1860. The existing church was constructed by an as yet unidentified builder when funds were secured, although its date of dedication is unknown. It is still used for religious services on a regular basis.
The Union Evangehcal Church is part of a large group of architecturally related mid- nineteenth rehgious buildings erected in rural areas of the state. The buildings that comprise the general grouping can be fiuther subdivided into three subsets: 1) churches with towers crowned by spires; 2) churches without spires; and 3) churches without towers. Common characteristics shared by all of these churches include their rectangular gable front orientations (often with a pediment), their plans (generally containing vestibules under galleries or adjacent to a raised platform) and an unmistakable Greek Revival style form that is conveyed not only by the general massing, but also by detailing such as comer pilasters and a broad entablature. These classical details are frequently combined with Gothic Revival features such as lancet arches above windows and belfry openings or in paneled pilasters, drip moldings over doors and windows, and crenelated towers. In some of the earliest members of the group. Federal style elements may even appear (St. John’s Episcopal Church in Dresden, N.R. 6/14/91). The Union Evangehcal Church belongs to the subset of towered buildings that lack spires. In this case, the belfry stage of the tower was originally capped by crenelation as documented in an historic photograph, and its mix of detailing includes a denticulated entablature, paneled lancet arched pilasters, and pronounced drip moldings. Given its high degree of integrity, the church is a good representative example of a distinct building type erected in Maine during the middle decades of the nineteenth century, a period in which a remarkable number of such buildings appeared on the state’s landscape.
The Union Evangelical Church bears a striking resemblance to the Epping Baptist Church in the nearby town of Columbia, a building which is said to have undergone a substantial remodeling in 1870. It is certainly plausible that the church in Addison served as a model for the alterations in Columbia, and they may in fact have been executed by the same builder. Unfortunately, no documentation has as yet been uncovered to establish this connection.
One final point regarding this property that is worthy of mention its dramatic site. While many rural church buildings in Maine occupy sites with picturesque settings that have had little or no late nineteenth or twentieth century encroachment, very few share — or more particularly take advantage of " the type of vista that accompanies the Union Evangelical Church. From its location about one- hundred feet above sea level, the church’s entries open onto a lawn to the southeast of which the grade changes rapidly to meet the Pleasant River and its broad tidal marsh. Although this site has proven at times to be a dangerous one (witness the destruction of the 1789 and 1839 buildings by natural forces), it is one that provides a dramatic link between the natural and man made environment.