Church
Church

About

The Church of the Unity, founded and built by Winchendon’s most prominent families, has presided over downtown Winchendon for over 150 years. Now called the Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon (UUCW), the building hosts community and religious services.

The ravages of New England weather, time and water have taken their toll on this beautiful structure. Major repairs to the stonework are urgently needed. Set in Stone is the church's capital campaign to raise money for this purpose.

Wear & Tear

A casual walk around the big gray church quickly reveals the damage the granite stonework has suffered from years of wind, sun, rain and extreme temperature changes. Many mortar joints are in a state of disrepair, with the mortar filling either cracked or completely missing. All of this needs to be replaced and/or refilled.

In 2015, UUCW contracted with the engineering firm Structures North of Salem, Massachusetts to conduct a visual survey of the church. They produced a detailed report showing the type and extent of deterioration across the entire building exterior. A color-coded map of their findings is posted here. It shows damage ranging from cracked and missing mortar, to bulging or shifted stones, to cracks in the stones themselves. The damage is scattered throughout the building, with the most severe damage resting in the church tower and front entryway.

Contact Us

UUCW
126 Central St.
P.O. Box 218
Winchendon, MA 01475
Email: info@set-in-stone.org
Phone: (978) 297-0554

News

Accepting Bids for Phase 4
October 22, 2024, 11:00 am - Representatives from three masonry firms attended our pre-bid meeting on October 22 for a close-up look at the masonry work outlined for our Phase 4 building repairs. Several other firms have expressed interest and plan to submit bids. Overall, we expect a reasonable number of bids to be submitted by the November 8 deadline. This will allow us an opportunity to choose the most qualified mason at the lowest bid price, with work to begin in Spring 2025.


Invitation to Bid Posted for Phase 4
October 11, 2024, 8:00 am - Legal ads for our Phase 4 masonry repairs were published today in the Gardner News, the Worcester Telegram and the Winchendon Courier. The official ad reads as follows:
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon, a.k.a. The Church of the Unity, 126 Central Street, Winchendon, MA, requests bids for masonry repairs to their 1866 granite building which is listed in the State Register of Historic Places, and in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Winchendon Village Historic District.
The project is being partially funded with a grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund through the Massachusetts Historical Commission. All work must be performed in accordance with the documents prepared by Structures North Consulting Engineers, Inc., 60 Washington Street, Salem, MA (Telephone 978-745-6817) and meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. State law prohibits discrimination. Awarding of this contract is subject to Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity guidelines. A copy of bidding documents may be obtained by writing or telephoning the architect at the above address.
A pre-bid meeting will be held at the church on October 22, 2024 at 11:00 am.
Bids shall be evaluated on the basis of price, previous experience with similar types of construction projects, ability to perform the work in a timely manner, and references. All bids must be delivered to the architect’s office at the above address prior to 12:00 noon November 8, 2024 to be eligible for consideration and all of the grant-funded work must be completed by June 30, 2025.
Phase 4 Kicks Off With Site Visit
July 15, 2024, 12:00 pm - We are entering into now-familiar territory with our third Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. First up on the schedule was a mandatory orientation session for grantees which Jill Sackett attended on July 11. This was quickly followed with a site visit from Paul Holtz of the MHC and Jillian Borghardt of Structures North Consulting Engineers on July 15.
Paul and Jillian spent a good deal of time evaluating the target areas for our Phase 4 repairs. They examined the exterior walls and even climbed our ladders inside the bell tower to examine the backsides of those walls. Both professionals confirmed that we should be focusing on the top half of the west-facing wall of the bell tower as next in line for the most urgent repairs. This wall has many areas of missing mortar (see below). The plan builds in additional repair options if funding allows. We will see how much work we can budget once the bidding process gets underway.