Park Street Church, Boston

Park Street Church, Boston

Resembling an enlarged version of a typical New England village church, the Park Street Church has stood at the junction of Park and Tremont streets, directly across from Boston Common, since its consecration in 1810. Designed by English architect Peter Banner, who adapted a design by Christopher Wren, one of history's most celebrated English architects, it continues to be one of the city's most influential pulpits. While the building itself is rather unassuming, constructed primarily of bricks and mortar, its striking 217-foot-tall white telescoping steeple commands undeniable attention.

However, the church's renown is not solely based on its physical stature but also on the significant events that unfolded within its walls. In 1819, the parish dispatched the nation's first missionaries to Hawaii. A decade later, on July 4, 1829, William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent journalist and social reformer, delivered his first public address, advocating for the nationwide abolition of slavery. Then, on July 4, 1831, the classic patriotic song "America" ("My country, 'tis of thee...") resounded through the church rafters for the first time.

Contrary to popular belief, the intersection did not earn the moniker "Brimstone Corner" due to the church's sermons. Instead, the name harks back to the War of 1812 when the US militia stored its gunpowder in the church's basement for safekeeping against potential bombardment by the British Navy.

Park Street itself inclines upward along the perimeter of Boston Common toward the Old State House. In the past, this thoroughfare was recognized as Bulfinch Row, named after the architect Charles Bulfinch, owing to the numerous brick townhouses he designed along it. Today, only one of these remains, the imposing bay-windowed townhouse at #9. Constructed in 1804 for George Ticknor, the initial publisher of the Atlantic Monthly, it presently serves as the location for the esteemed French and Italian restaurant No. 9 Park.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Boston. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Park Street Church on Map

Sight Name: Park Street Church
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Boston, Massachusetts

Create Your Own Walk in Boston

Create Your Own Walk in Boston

Creating your own self-guided walk in Boston is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Bunker Hill Walking Tour

Bunker Hill Walking Tour

Bunker Hill, sitting on the bank of the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, is a historic site that holds great significance in American history. At its heart stands the Bunker Hill Monument, a towering obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill, a pivotal event in the American Revolutionary War.

The battle took place on June 17, 1775, when American patriots faced off against British...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour

Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour

Boston’s historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill is quite a charm! One can spend hours here, admiring the elegant uniformity and restraint of the architecture; at times, perhaps, imagining people from the past in their horse-drawn carriages. Federal-style and Victorian row houses, narrow streets lit by antique gas lanterns, brick sidewalks and lavender-hued windows adorn the area, which is...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Historical Churches Walking Tour

Historical Churches Walking Tour

Boston's great churches are among the most precious of the city's numerous architectural jewels. What makes them special are their unique styles, elegant facades and long history.

Starting with the Old North Church, which towers in the city’s North End, this journey surely feels like taking a step back in time. Legend was made there, in the very place that Paul Revere waited for...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Boston Shopping Areas

Boston Shopping Areas

One of the top shopping destinations in the US northeast, Boston has a strong network of interesting stores, galleries and boutiques to visit along with its many high-class shops, some of which are nestled inside historical buildings. Shopping here in more than one way mirrors the city itself: an amalgamation of classic and vanguard, the handmade and the high-end, and both local and international...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
North End Walking Tour

North End Walking Tour

The North End was the city's first neighborhood, and one that has been key to its fortunes, having become a hub of commercial, social and intellectual activity by the 1750s. Later known as Boston's Little Italy, it has been home to Italian immigrants through much of the 20th century, and still retains a certain Mediterranean flavor in its many restaurants, cafés, and specialty shops. In...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
North End Food Tour

North End Food Tour

Boston’s North End is famous primarily for its Italian food. By far not as big as New York's Little Italy, this one-square-mile waterfront community is the oldest in the city, and is packed to the brim with a cornucopia of Italian eateries – restaurants, cafes, espresso bars, pizza and sandwich shops – lined next to each other within just a few short blocks to ensure visitors both a...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


Boston's Marblehead Eateries

Boston's Marblehead Eateries

With such a diverse variety of dining cuisines and styles, the little town of Marblehead has something to satisfy every budget and culinary palate. You won't find any neon here, none is allowed in town and there are no fast food or drive-thrus establishments either. Most are quaint and...