Grace United Methodist Church (Keene, New Hampshire)

Historic church in New Hampshire, United States

United States historic place

Location34 Court St., Keene, New Hampshire

Coordinates42°56′7″N 72°16′48″W / 42.93528°N 72.28000°W / 42.93528; -72.28000

Area0.2 acres (0.081 ha)

Built1869


Grace United Methodist Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Grace United Methodist Church
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Location	34 Court St., Keene, New Hampshire
Coordinates	42°56′7″N 72°16′48″W / 42.93528°N 72.28000°W / 42.93528; -72.28000
Area	0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built	1869
Architect	Woodcock, Shepard S.
Architectural style	Gothic, High Victorian Gothic
NRHP reference No.	85000476^[1]
Added to NRHP	March 07, 1985

Grace United Methodist Church is a former Methodist Church building at 34 Court Street in Keene, New Hampshire. Built in 1869, it was designed by architect Shepard S. Woodcock, and is one of the largest churches in southwestern New Hampshire. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.^[1] Its congregation moved in 2009 and was disbanded in 2016. Since 2018 the church has been owned by a marketing agency.^[2]

The former Grace United Methodist Church is in downtown Keene, a short way north of Central Square on the west side of Court Street. It is a large brick building with Gothic Revival styling. It has a gabled roof, with buttressing along the sides and at the corners. A tower with a tall spire rises from the right front corner, with a polychrome slate finish. There are three entrances on the main facade, one in the tower, one at the center below the main gable, and one to the left of a buttressed turret. The interior is two stories, with classrooms, vestry, and office spaces on the ground floor, and the main sanctuary on the second floor.^[3]

The Grace congregation was founded in 1832, and built its first house of worship in 1852.^[4] This church was built in 1868-69, to a design by Shepard S. Woodcock, a prolific regional architect working out of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built at the high cost of $40,000, beyond the means of its parishioners to afford; the congregation was in debt until 1896. Originally roofed in polychrome slate (similar to what appears on the spire), the roof was replaced after the 1938 New England Hurricane.^[3]

Due to dwindling enrollment, the Methodist congregation moved to rent smaller quarters in the Odd Fellows Hall on Marlboro Street, and was formally disbanded in 2016.^[4] The historic church's Steer and Turner organ was removed and sold to a German Catholic church.

The building was purchased in 2018 by the owner of a local digital marketing agency.^[2]^[5]

References

1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
1 2 "Downtown church sold to Keene marketing firm". Keene Sentinel. October 3, 2018. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Grace Methodist Episcopal Church / Grace United Methodist Church". National Park Service. and accompanying seven photos from 1984 and c.1870
1 2 "A congregation leaves Keene with grace". Keene Sentinel. July 26, 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
↑ Merrill, Scott (23 September 2025). "2025 Best Companies to Work for: 26. Paragon Digital Marketing". No. September 2025. Manchester, New Hampshire: Business NH Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.

National Register of Historic Places in Cheshire County, New Hampshire

Landmark
District

Harrisville Historic District

Districts

Beaver Mills
Beech Hill Summer Home District
Chesham Village District
Dublin Lake Historic District
Dublin Village Historic District
East Jaffrey Historic District
Fitzwilliam Common Historic District
Harrisville Rural District
Jaffrey Center Historic District
Pottersville District
Second Rindge Meetinghouse, Horsesheds and Cemetery
Silver Lake District
Troy Village Historic District

Buildings

Religious	Asbury United Methodist Church Grace United Methodist Church Jones Hall Keene Unitarian Universalist Church Park Hill Meetinghouse Richmond Community Church Third Fitzwilliam Meetinghouse United Church of Christ in Keene Veterans' Memorial Hall
Residential/ Agriculture	Abijah Richardson, Sr. Homestead Adams Farm Aldworth Manor Amory Ballroom Amory House Amory-Appel Cottage Amos Learned Farm Appleton Farm Appleton-Hannaford House Asa Morse Farm Ballou-Newbegin House Beech Hill Benjamin Learned House Benjamin Marshall House Brackett House Buckminster-Kingsbury Farm Burpee Farm Capt. Richard Strong House Capt. Samuel Allison House Capt. Thomas Morse Farm Catherine Fiske Seminary For Young Ladies Clymer House Colony House Corban C. Farwell Homestead Corey Farm Deacon Abijah Richardson House Dinsmoor–Hale House Dr. Daniel Adams House Drewsville Mansion Elbridge G. Bemis House Eli Morse Farm Elliot Mansion Eveleth Farm Far Horizons Fasnacloich Fisk Barn Foothill Farm Frost Farm (Korpi Road) Frost Farm (Old Marlborough Road) George Bemis House George Cheever Farm Gilchrest Glenchrest Henry Strongman House Hutchinson House Isaac Greenwood House Ivanov-Rinov House Ivory Perry Homestead Jabez Townsend House James Gowing Farm James Robbe Jr. House Jewett-Kemp-Marlens House John Adams Homestead-Wellscroft John Perry Homestead John Richardson Homestead Joseph Gowing Farm Joslin-Faulkner-Putnam House Kendall Cottage Knollwood Lattice Cottage Lawrence Farm Learned Homestead Louis Cabot House Luke Richardson House Markham House Mary Anne Wales House Mason House Mason–Watkins House McKenna Cottage Micajah Martin Farm Moore Farm and Twitchell Mill Site Moses Eaton Jr. House Moses Greenwood House Mountain View Farm Needham House Noah Cooke House The Old Patch Place Parsons Studio and Casino Peck-Porter House Persia Beal House Point Comfort Pumpelly Studio Raubold House Richard Strong Cottage Rufus Piper Homestead Sawyer Tavern Silver Lake Farm Smith–Mason Farm Solomon Piper Farm Spur House Stationmaster's House Stephen Rowe Bradley House Stone Farm Stone-Darracott House Stonehenge T. H. Cabot Cottage The Acre Timothy Bancroft House Townsend Farm Weldwood Wildwood Cottage Willard Homestead William Strongman House Windmill Hill Wood House Wyman Tavern
Other buildings	Cheshire County Courthouse Colony's Block Conant Public Library Dublin Town Hall Faulkner & Colony Woolen Mill Golden Rod Grange No. 114 High Tops School Holman & Merriman Machine Shop Jaffrey Mills Nelson Schoolhouse New Hampshire Conservatory of Music and the Arts Richmond School House No. 6 Richmond Town Hall Shedd-Porter Memorial Library Todd Block Walpole Academy Winchester Town Hall

Site

Eli Morse Sawmill Foundations

Structures

Ashuelot Covered Bridge
Carleton Bridge
Coombs Covered Bridge
Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge
Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge
Slate Covered Bridge
Stone Arch Bridge
West Swanzey Covered Bridge

Grace United Methodist Church (Keene, New Hampshire)

See also

References

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