St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Augusta, Maine)

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Postcard view of the church, c. 1900
Location 9 Summer St., Augusta, Maine
Coordinates 44°18′59″N 69°46′43″W / 44.31639°N 69.77861°W / 44.31639; -69.77861Coordinates: 44°18′59″N 69°46′43″W / 44.31639°N 69.77861°W / 44.31639; -69.77861
Area 0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built 1886 (1886)
Architect Richard M. Upjohn
Architectural style Gothic
NRHP Reference # 84001379[1]
Added to NRHP July 19, 1984

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a historic church and active congregation at 9 Summer Street in Augusta, Maine, just west of downtown. The congregation, founded in 1840, occupies an 1886 Gothic Revival stone building designed by Richard M. Upjohn and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for its architecture.

History

The congregation was established in 1840, and first occupied a small wooden church that located just north of the current site of the Lithgow Library. The present building was built for the congregation in 1886 to a design by the noted architect Richard M. Upjohn. A window honoring Saint Mark from the old church is part of the current church and stands behind the choir stalls.[2] The congregation continues to be active to this day and houses multiple community ministries. These include the Addie's Attic Clothing Bank, Everyday Basics Essentials Pantry and the Augusta Area Food Bank, all of which operate in the adjacent Parish Hall, which was built in 1959.[3]

Activities

The church in 2012

Outside of church services, Saint Mark's Church also serves as a venue for musical performances. Most prominent among these is an organ concert held every spring since 1997. In 2010, the annual concert was renamed the Annual Marilyn Tedesco Memorial Concert in honor of former St. Mark's Music Director and organist Marilyn Tedesco.[4]

Saint Mark's is one of two Episcopal congregations in Augusta. The other is Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church on the city's east side.[5]

Architecture

The church occupies a lot between Summer and Pleasant Streets a short way west of downtown Augusta. It is built out of quarry-faced granite, with a gable-roofed main section oriented east-west and two south-facing gabled projections. The western of the two projections has a tall square tower, with buttressed corners, belfry, and pyramidal roof topped by a cross. Windows are either lancet-arched in the Gothic style, or rectangular, and are decorated with tracery. The interior includes marble columns and detailed high-quality woodwork. The chancel ceiling has original stencil decorations.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ St. Mark's Episcopal Church Website, http://www.stmarksaugusta.org/history.php
  3. ↑ St. Mark's Episcopal Church website, http://www.stmarksaugusta.org/ministries.php
  4. ↑ Torrey Ham, "First Annual Marilyn Tedesco Memorial Concert", MyFoxMaine.com, March 23, 2010: http://www.myfoxmaine.com/community/community-calendar/88911182.html; Joe Riddick, "St. Mark's Senior Warden News", May 14, 2010.
  5. ↑ Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church website, http://www.saintbarnabasaugusta.org/
  6. ↑ Frank Beard; Robert Reed (1984). "NRHP nomination for St. Mark's Episcopal Church" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-07-07. with photos from 1984
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