City of Newton, MA
Home MenuFirst Baptist Church Bell Tower Preservation
Historic Preservation and Rehabilitation
848 Beacon Street
Newton Centre, MA 02459
Current Project Goals
To preserve and restore the structural integrity of the historic Bell Tower following the partial collapse of its exterior stonework in 2021 and 2022. The Tower is an original and significant architectural element of the ca. 1888 Richardson Romanesque building designed by John Lyman Faxon and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Funding Requested
$2,000,000 CPA Funding Requested
$1,640,000 First Baptist Church in Newton Funding
$60,000 Community Funding
$350,000 Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund
$250,000 National Fund for Sacred Places
$150,000 MHC Mass. Preservation Project Fund Emergency Grant Funding
$4,450,000 Total Project Cost
Funding Process
August 18, 2023 - Pre-Proposal Form submitted for initial review of funding request at September 12 CPC Meeting.
May 17, 2024 - Udpates to pre-proposal submitted to the CPC for review at the June 11 meeting. These include:
Full Proposal Submitted to CPC for review at July 9 meeting.
Full Proposal with attachments
Letters of Support are also being collected, ahead of the public hearing that will be part of the anticipated Full Proposal submission.