First Baptist Church, Boston
The First Baptist Church, designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, marked a significant milestone in his career as it was his first major architectural commission and his initial venture into the Romanesque Revival style. When completed in 1872, it quickly became an iconic city landmark, particularly when viewed from Commonwealth Avenue, and remains one of the Boston's most distinctive buildings.
One of the church's notable features is the nearly freestanding bell tower, which Richardson considered to be the most innovative aspect of the structure. The tower is adorned with a decorative frieze and arches, protected by an overhanging roof, while the frieze was crafted in Paris by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor renowned for creating the Statue of Liberty. The faces depicted in the frieze represent the sacraments – baptism, communion, marriage, and death – and include likenesses of prominent Bostonians from that era, such as Longfellow and Hawthorne, as well as Abraham Lincoln and Bartholdi's own friends, including Garibaldi. The tower's trumpeting angels contributed to the church's nickname, the "Church of the Holy Bean Blowers".
Interestingly, shortly after the completion of the church, the Unitarian congregation that originally commissioned it dissolved due to the financial burden of the building, which remained vacant until 1881 when it was taken over by the First Baptist congregation from the South End. If you plan to visit on a weekday, it's advisable to call ahead, as you may have the opportunity for an informal tour of this architecturally significant and historically rich church.
One of the church's notable features is the nearly freestanding bell tower, which Richardson considered to be the most innovative aspect of the structure. The tower is adorned with a decorative frieze and arches, protected by an overhanging roof, while the frieze was crafted in Paris by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor renowned for creating the Statue of Liberty. The faces depicted in the frieze represent the sacraments – baptism, communion, marriage, and death – and include likenesses of prominent Bostonians from that era, such as Longfellow and Hawthorne, as well as Abraham Lincoln and Bartholdi's own friends, including Garibaldi. The tower's trumpeting angels contributed to the church's nickname, the "Church of the Holy Bean Blowers".
Interestingly, shortly after the completion of the church, the Unitarian congregation that originally commissioned it dissolved due to the financial burden of the building, which remained vacant until 1881 when it was taken over by the First Baptist congregation from the South End. If you plan to visit on a weekday, it's advisable to call ahead, as you may have the opportunity for an informal tour of this architecturally significant and historically rich church.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Boston. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
First Baptist Church on Map
Sight Name: First Baptist Church
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Boston, Massachusetts
Create Your Own Walk in Boston
Creating your own self-guided walk in Boston is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Bunker Hill Walking Tour
Bunker Hill, sitting on the bank of the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, is a historic site that holds great significance in American history. At its heart stands the Bunker Hill Monument, a towering obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill, a pivotal event in the American Revolutionary War.
The battle took place on June 17, 1775, when American patriots faced off against British... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
The battle took place on June 17, 1775, when American patriots faced off against British... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
North End Walking Tour
The North End was the city's first neighborhood, and one that has been key to its fortunes, having become a hub of commercial, social and intellectual activity by the 1750s. Later known as Boston's Little Italy, it has been home to Italian immigrants through much of the 20th century, and still retains a certain Mediterranean flavor in its many restaurants, cafés, and specialty shops. In... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Historical Churches Walking Tour
Boston's great churches are among the most precious of the city's numerous architectural jewels. What makes them special are their unique styles, elegant facades and long history.
Starting with the Old North Church, which towers in the city’s North End, this journey surely feels like taking a step back in time. Legend was made there, in the very place that Paul Revere waited for... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Starting with the Old North Church, which towers in the city’s North End, this journey surely feels like taking a step back in time. Legend was made there, in the very place that Paul Revere waited for... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
North End Food Tour
Boston’s North End is famous primarily for its Italian food. By far not as big as New York's Little Italy, this one-square-mile waterfront community is the oldest in the city, and is packed to the brim with a cornucopia of Italian eateries – restaurants, cafes, espresso bars, pizza and sandwich shops – lined next to each other within just a few short blocks to ensure visitors both a... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles
Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour
Boston’s historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill is quite a charm! One can spend hours here, admiring the elegant uniformity and restraint of the architecture; at times, perhaps, imagining people from the past in their horse-drawn carriages. Federal-style and Victorian row houses, narrow streets lit by antique gas lanterns, brick sidewalks and lavender-hued windows adorn the area, which is... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Historical Cambridge MA Walking Tour
Once a quiet New England farming village-turned capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, today's Cambridge, MA is a university town that dazzles visitors as the home of renowned Harvard University – alma mater of many intellectuals, literary geniuses, celebrities, and wealthy and powerful. Many of America’s elite have spent some time at Harvard, and their contributions to Cambridge have... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
Boston's Marblehead Eateries
With such a diverse variety of dining cuisines and styles, the little town of Marblehead has something to satisfy every budget and culinary palate. You won't find any neon here, none is allowed in town and there are no fast food or drive-thrus establishments either. Most are quaint and...