First Church in Roxbury study report

The First Church in Roxbury is historically and architecturally significant at the local and state levels as an outstanding example of ecclesiastical architecture in the early nineteenth century; for the visually stunning integrity of its architectural and landscape features; for its associations with a nationally-renowned proponent of professional architectural design, Asher Benjamin; and for its role in the development of the Roxbury community from a rural, agricultural town to a wealthy Boston suburb and now a densely populated, majority Black urban neighborhood.

Two archaeological surveys in 2003 and 2019 at the First Church in Roxbury have also documented that multiple intact ancient Native Massachusett sites exist on the First Church property.

Read the First Church study report

(Report amended as of February 17, 2023)

The proposed designation will be discussed and voted upon at a public hearing on February 28, 2023. Please look for the meeting notice in the public notices section of our website.