First Church is seeking funds from the Community Preservation Act Committee to install a new boiler in the 170-year-old church before it is handed over to Price Memorial AME Zion Church.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With an OK from the Historical Commission, the city's first church intends to seek Community Preservation funds for a boiler restoration.

"For the last three or four years we've been limping along with our one of our boilers," the First Church of Christ's moderator Jennifer Kerwood explained.

"The building is serviced by two gas boilers, one for the parish house side, which thankfully works beautifully, and one for the sanctuary side, which does not work beautifully."

Due to financial constraints, the church is merging with South Congregational Church down the street and gifting the historic Park Square parish to the Price Memorial AME Zion Church, which lost its steeple to a fire this summer.

The church's 20-year-old boiler failed a pressure test in August and it was determined that it needs a full replacement rather than more repairs.

"Neither us nor Price Memorial has the resources to do that alone," Kerwood said. "It's estimated at least a $100,000 project."

The church is seeking CPA funds for historical preservation, as the infrastructure is needed to keep the parish intact. There will also be non-religious tenants making use of the facility.

On Monday, the commission deemed it historically significant without debate. Now, the church can move forward in the CPA process.

Chair John Dickson thanked them for their preservation efforts and pointed out that it is already historic because it is in the Park Square District registry.

"We were the first church in Pittsfield," Kerwood said. "At that time in 1764, Pittsfield could not be incorporated as a township without a church and so the church was founded but the building that sits at 27 East St. is actually the third First Church building."

The Gothic revival style building was completed in 1853 and was designed by Leopold Eidlitz, who was thought to be the first Jewish American architect.

It was added to the Massachusetts Register of Historic Properties in 1997 when the church received a grant from the commonwealth to redo the roof.

"Some other important aspects of the sanctuary: all the green exterior stone came from quarries around Berkshire County," Kerwood pointed out.

"Nearly all of the woodwork in the sanctuary, the pillars, the trusses, the pews, and the balcony railings is chestnut, which was collected from woodlots and Pittsfield in Lanesborough and is irreplaceable."

The large Allen window in front was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and was installed in 1882. There is another Tiffany window on the property that was installed in the 1880s.

Two other stained-glass windows on the parish were designed by Mary Elizabeth Tillinghast, a local artist who also designed the McKay Mausoleum in the Pittsfield Cemetery.

Kerwood said the church has poured thousands of dollars into maintaining the structure and, in 2018, reached a point where the congregation could not possibly fund it anymore and put it on the market.

They have been trying to sell or gift the building while at the same time working to unite with South Congregational Church, which is done all but officially, she reported. The churches hope to be legally and financially merged early next year.

"We have had a few potential serious buyers over the last four years but particularly the historic restrictions on the sanctuary have really made it cost prohibitive for anyone to do anything with the building and make money," Kerwood said.

"Even some of our very creative and innovative local developers declined to finally put an offer in because they couldn't find a way to do it. So this church, some possibly an act of God brought us together with Price Memorial Church this summer."

In June, the Linden Street congregation's steeple was struck by lightning and caught fire. The water damage has made the parish uninhabitable and First Church allowed them to use its space.

It was determined that repairing the Linden Street parish would be cost-prohibitive and First Church decided that it had found its new tenants.

"Our hope is to gift the property to Price and work together," Kerwood reported. "We're going to figure out how to pay for this boiler and with hopefully other help. Also, they plan to have other tenants in the building."

A cheer organization has been using the top floor of the church and an after-school tutoring program is planned to be housed there.

According to a 2018 engineering assessment, the building has no major structural concerns.

CPA eligibility applications are open through Nov. 17 and projects that meet the requirements will be invited to submit a funding application in early 2024. There will be a public hearing for the funds on Oct. 25 in Room 203 at City Hall.

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