First Universalist Church, Providence

The First Universalist Church is a red-brick Gothic Revival building completed in 1872. Designed by Rhode Island architect Edwin L. Howland, it was created with restrained decoration, relying on form, proportion and contrasting materials rather than elaborate carving. The congregation was organized in 1821, and this is its third sanctuary.

The exterior features steep cross-gabled slate roofs, pointed-arch windows and an asymmetrical entrance front. Its most prominent element is the corner tower, strengthened by stepped buttresses and crowned by a narrow slate-covered spire. Tan and brown stone details contrast with the hard red brick, while reddish marble columns and carved foliate capitals frame a group of windows on the main façade.

Inside, the largely preserved sanctuary follows a cruciform, three-aisle plan. Broad pointed arches rest on slender clustered columns, and dark woodwork lines the lower walls. Stained-glass windows bring color into the otherwise restrained interior, including large rose windows with Christian figures and symbols. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the building remains an active place of worship, so interior access may depend on services and community events.