Old West Church

Founded in 1737   In the early 18th-century, The West Church emerged as an influential pulpit in Revolutionary-era Boston, where ministers championed liberty and resistance to tyranny. British soldiers tore down the original steeple to prevent signaling during the Siege of Boston, and heavily damaged the first building. The current structure, designed by Asher Benjamin and constructed in 1806, became one of few lasting examples of Federal style architecture in the West End. This sanctuary has long been home to advancing liberation and racial equity, including serving as a safehouse on the Underground Railroad. After operating as a Boston Public Library branch in the first half of the 20th century, the sanctuary became a United Methodist congregation in 1962 and eventually part of the multisite Union Combined Parish in 2023. Old West Church has housed a world-renowned Fisk organ, along with a food forest and pollinator garden reflecting its commitments to flourishing and justice.