The first meeting of the Universal Baptist church took place in a living room at 26 Cowen Street led by Reverend Frank Gibson and his wife. That was in 1937 and although Sister Lucille Clark was only 5, she remembers the meetings that took place in the house where she grew up. She was there when the church moved over to Congress Street when the living room became too small and she there when the church moved again to South Federal Street in a building that had once served as the living quarters for workers at the Grand Union Hotel. When that building could no longer serve as the Baptists home, they moved to a small building on Grand Ave. and finally to their current location at 25 Washington St. But of course, there is more to the story.
It’s obvious that the building at 25 Washington St. has seen a lot of change since Sister Clark and the Baptists first entered its doors in 1976 and even from when I first climbed the front steps in 2006. A newspaper clipping from 2000 features a picture of the historic church building with the headline “Faithful Offer Final Prayer.” It seems almost impossible that at one time, this unique building might have been condemned for safety reasons by the city and possibly left to fall apart. Through the efforts of the Baptists and the many people who support the Universal Preservation Hall, we know what could have been a sad story has turned into an example of what can be accomplished when we get involved and work together. The building is now structurally sound, the Baptists have a new home and the community stands to gain a world class performing arts and events space - a piece of local history to be proud of.
Meanwhile, Sister Clark and I sit, talking about the past inside the beautiful Universal Baptist chapel, where the congregation meets every Sunday. The usual sounds of construction work resonate in the background as the rest of the building at 25 Washington St. is made ready to serve as a place where artists, educators, community members and tourists will come together to be entertained, learn about history, shape the future or just admire one of the things that makes our city so special.
As for the Baptists, as Sister Clark puts it, they will “continue to praise God, to help people and to just serve as a place to reflect on life.” I asked her how she would describe her journey, from that living room on Cowen Street to the Baptists new home inside of the Universal Preservation Hall- she of course, quoted me scripture: “Look where I have come from. I have come a mighty long way.”
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