Look to your left-you cannot miss the Huntington Street Baptist Church perched proudly on a big chunk of granite, with its row of tall, fluted columns holding up a grand portico that almost looks like it belongs on an ancient Greek temple, albeit with a steeple on top for Connecticut flavor.
So here’s a building with a little drama of its own. Back in 1843, New London was having a little crisis of faith-it wasn’t just about heaven or hell, but about who was preaching what each Sunday. The Universalists, who were a bit more liberal with their ideas about salvation, had gotten on the nerves of the local Baptists. Tensions bubbled over thanks to a passionate preacher named Jabez Swan, and so, the Universalists packed up and built their own church-right here, and strategically high up so their steeple looked down on everyone else’s. Not subtle.
John Bishop, the guy behind the design, must’ve really had a thing for Greek Revival style, and maybe for showing off a little because those columns and that pediment? Straight out of Minard Lafever’s architecture pattern book, which was all the rage at the time.
But the Universalists, it turned out, had champagne taste on a cider budget. The building cost them a fortune-about $12,000 back then, which would be over $420,000 today. Ouch. By 1849, weighed down by debt and maybe a bit of regret, they sold it off...to the Baptists led by Swan himself. Oh, the irony.
When you’re ready, head south for about 3 minutes and you’ll find yourself in the heart of the Downtown New London Historic District.
