OUR HERITAGE &
HISTORIC CHURCH BUILDING
Our faith tradition's history is one of the oldest in the United States. Congregationalism was established in New England in the early 1600's and merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957 to form the United Church of Christ (UCC.) Vital in the development of our nation, Congregationalists founded many educational institutions, including Harvard in 1636 and Yale in 1701. In 1874, three years after the founding of Colorado Springs, Congregationalists founded The Colorado College and our First Congregational Church.
"Surely few churches there are with so many pillars. The many pillars in our portico seem suggestive of the spiritual life of the church within, its strength, its dignity, its peace." – Dr. James Gregg, October 1914
The cornerstone for our present church was laid on September 8, 1888, and the first services were held in the new building on July 21, 1889. Dedication was delayed until October, however, when the pipe organ crafted by Hook and Hastings of Boston was installed. Our faith community has been housed in this structure ever since, making our facility the oldest church building in Colorado Springs continuously used by the same congregation.
Our Romanesque-style building is constructed of Wall Mountain Tuff (rhyolite,) quarried near Castle Rock, Colorado. It is the only known church designed by Henry Rutgers Marshall, architect and acclaimed student of Henry Hobson Richardson. First Congregational Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 31, 2002. In partnership with the Colorado Historical Society's State Historical Fund, our church and Founders' Room addition (1903) are undergoing restoration to their 1910 appearance.
Within this website, you are invited to meet our Staff, our Church Council, and become acquainted with our Church's Facility Outreach to the local community.
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