The Unitarian Society of Fairhaven, Massachusetts

photographs by Bert Christensen

This building, which is often called "the finest example of 15th Century English Gothic (perpendicular style) in the United States," was begun in 1901 and completed in 1904. It is the gift of the late Henry Huttleston Rogers, Standard Oil Company magnate and native of Fairhaven, who built it in memory of his mother, Mary Eldredge Huttleston Rogers, following her death in 1899

 

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Of the 5 entrances to the church, perhaps the most renowned is the south porch, whose bronze doors consist of 2 leaves, each weighing more than 2 1/4 tons. On their exterior are 38  9-inch figures of persons chosen from 19 centuries of Roman Catholic and Protestant thought. King Alfred the Great is the only "civic" leader among them. The pulpit is octagonal, flanked by massive organ pipes covered with beaten gold, and surrounded by some of the sanctuary's most beautiful and symbolic oak carvings. Prominent in its design are the major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, as well as minor prophets Zechariah and Micah. Its base is a solid piece of green Alpine marble.

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