Southport Congregational Church, 523 Pequot Road, Southport, Fairfield County, CT

Significance: The Southport Congregational Church is designed in the High Victorian Gothic manner by locally prominent architects Lambert and Bunnell, and erected in 1874-75. It is constructed of granite ashlar masonry with a lighter stone around openings. Contrasts in the building materials have the effect of accenting sections and details. While the exterior design emphasizes asymmetry and variegated massing, a sense of balance is achieved. The rectangular nave section functions as the central axis in the composition. The flanking tower and its polygonal wooden spire to one side is counter-balanced by the porte cochere crowned by a slender bell-cote on the other. Inside, the nave's main roof is supported by a hammerbeam truss system, the members of which are carved in quatrefoil and stylized Gothic motifs. The Southport Congregational Society was organized in March 1843, and has remained an influential cultural force in the community since that time.
Survey number: HABS CT-311
Building/structure dates: 1875 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1884 Subsequent Work