Central Presbyterian Church (Montclair, New Jersey)
{{short description|Historic church in New Jersey, United States}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Central Presbyterian Church
| nrhp_type =
| image = Monclair NJ Central Presby PHS746.jpg
| caption = Central Presbyterian Church on a vintage postcard
| location = 46 Park Street, Montclair, New Jersey
| coordinates = {{coord|40|49|4|N|74|13|4|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = USA New Jersey Essex County#New Jersey#USA
| built = 1921
| architect = Carrere & Hastings; Shreve, Lamb & Harmon
| architecture = Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival
| added = November 14, 1986
| area =
| mpsub = {{NRHP url|id=64000493|title=Montclair MRA}}
| refnum = 86003051{{NRISref|version=2013a|refnum=86003051}}
| designated_other1_name = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr = NJRHP
| designated_other1_link = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_date = September 28, 1986
| designated_other1_number = 1110{{cite web |title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Essex County |url=https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/ESSEX.pdf#page=8 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office |page=8 |date=June 22, 2023 }}
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
}}
Central Presbyterian Church is a historic church located at 46 Park Street in Montclair, New Jersey, United States.{{Cite book|last=Walker|first=J|title=Montclair in Colonial War Times|publisher=Creative Media Partners, LLC|year=1912}}
The church was built in 1921 and dedicated on Oct. 15, 1922. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 1986, for its significance in architecture. The building was designed by architecture firms Carrere & Hastings and Shreve, Lamb & Harmon.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=86003051}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Central Presbyterian Church |publisher=National Park Service|first1=Robert M. |last1=Powers |date=1980 }}
History
In 1837 a board of trustees and officers, elected at a meeting at the local schoolhouse, started planning for a Presbyterian society for West Bloomfield, the township informally known as Cranetown that later, in 1870, was officially recognized as Montclair.
File:Central Presbyterian Church session.png
The schoolhouse already on the property was renovated. The church was made of wood and built over the schoolrooms. The church was in the center of town, on a triangular-shaped block bordered by Bloomfield Avenue, Park Street and Church Street. On August 9, 1838 the church was formally dedicated. Samuel Ware Fischer was the church's first pastor, from 1839 to 1849 and later served as President of Hamilton College.
File:First Presbyterian Church of Montclair, 1856.png
In 1860 a new and larger building behind the original church was dedicated as The First Presbyterian Church of Montclair.{{Cite book|last=Jaeger|first=Philip Edward|title=Montclair|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated|year=1998}}
In 1867 the church bought the school next door and expanded to accommodate 700 people. In 1868, the new Township of Montclair's first board meeting was held in the church's lecture room.
In 1886, a split in the congregation concerning church policy led to the formation of the Trinity Presbyterian Church. On December 2, 1913, Trinity and Old First merged and officially became The Central Presbyterian Church of Montclair.
A new church building, at the corner of Park Street and Claremont Avenue, was dedicated on October 15, 1922.
In 1950 Central ordained its first women elders.
See also
References
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{{commons category|Central Presbyterian Church (Montclair, New Jersey)}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey}}
{{NRHP in Montclair, New Jersey}}
Category:Presbyterian churches in New Jersey
Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Category:Colonial Revival architecture in New Jersey
Category:Churches completed in 1921
Category:20th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States
Category:Churches in Essex County, New Jersey
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Montclair, New Jersey