First Congregational Church (Wyandotte, Michigan)

The First Congregational Church is a church building located at 98 Superior Boulevard in Wyandotte, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

History
By the time Wyandotte was chartered as a city in 1867, churches of five different denominations existed in the city. However, in 1892, the Reverend Joshua Stansfield of the First Methodist church and the Reverend Peter E. Nichol of the First Presbyterian each preached against the sin of dancing. In objection, some members of each congregation walked out; twenty-nine members immediately formed the First Congregational Church. The new congregation began meeting in an old school house. By 1902, the congregation had grown to 200 members. A location for a permanent church was chosen, and the congregation hired architect Wells D. Butterfield to design the building. The construction of the church was funded completely by local industrialist and congregation member Jerome H. Bishop. Construction began in August 1902 and the church was dedicated in June 1903.

The Congregational Church continued to grow, and in 1913 constructed a parsonage behind the sanctuary. An adjoining fellowship hall was added in 1927. The building continues to serve the congregation until the present.

Description
The First Congregational Church complex was constructed in three stages: the 1903 church, the 1927 fellowship hall, and the 1913 parsonage (now a private residence). The church is a Late Gothic Revival building clad in reddish-brown brick, with a limestone foundation and limestone trim. The sanctuary is rectangular and measures thirty-four feet by seventy-six feet. The main façade contains a large stained glass window. The entryway is within a square bell tower topped with a spire which projects from one corner. The sanctuary is topped with a steep gabled roof.

The Fellowship Hall is a rectangular building adjacent to the church, connecting internally through the bell tower. The hall is a brick building. The front façade is divided into two bays by three buttresses topped with limestone. Each bay contains a double arched window. The parsonage is located behind the church, and is a 2-1/2 story, L-shaped vernacular Queen Anne style house. The first floor is clad in brick and the second in vinyl siding. It has a steeply pitched side-gable front section and a recessed entry porch.