Situated in the Groton Bank Historic district on Monument Street near the Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, the current meeting house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. The beautiful and unique fieldstone building was dedicated on October 16th, 1902, to mark the 200th anniversary of the congregation that assembles at Groton's First Church.

Groton's First Church was the original church to be established in Groton, CT, and the history of the church and the governing body of the area from the seventeenth century on are closely intertwined. The congregation has been continuously active since the Avery family of Groton initiated the establishment of a church separate from the First Congregational Church in New London in 1702. The same Averys also played an active role in the establishment of Groton, CT.

The building's exterior is constructed of fieldstone. The fieldstones were taken from the fields of the original founders. Captain James Avery founded the congregation in 1678. The General Court of Hartford granted the petition in 1702. The current meeting house is modeled after the Avery parish church (St. Andrews) in Ipplepen, Devon, England.

Construction

Interior Features

Moller Organ

The custom-made Moller Organ was specifically designed and built to accommodate the unique space in the front of the church and the acoustical dimensions of the sanctuary. The organ contains 1,381 pipes divided into 26 ranks and controlled at the console. All of the pipes and the console are in full view at the front of the sanctuary.

The picture on the left shows the front of the sanctuary and the organ as they appeared originally. This organ, brought from the former church on Thames Street was replaced in 1963, when the front of the sanctuary was remodeled to accommodate the new pipes and to add the choir stalls that now face the pews. The instrument is a three-manual, three-division organ plus pedal from the M.P. Moller Company with a "romantic" rather than "classic" tonal design.

Brass Chandeliers

Eight chandeliers provide lighting to the sanctuary. A grant for $3,000 was given from the Cecil Howard Charitable Trust of NYC to restore the ornate brass and smoked glass globed chandeliers. The chandeliers are valued at half of the original total cost of the church building, which in 1902 was $35,000.

Wood Interior

Over half of the interior of the sanctuary is made of all natural, rubbed and polished oak wood, including the ceiling.

Organ

Brass Chandeliers

Stained Glass Windows