The parish of amity (a theocracy) was incorporated in 1738, when it officially separated from the larger Milford  Parish. The town of woodbridge, named for the first Amity Pastor, Benjamin Woodbridge, was incorporated by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1784. The original Meetinghouse, built in 1739, was replaced by the current Meetinghouse in 1832. The Greek Revival architecture reflected the colonial style that was popular at the time. Designed by the Society of Amity comittee, the building was constructed of hand hewn post and beam lumber by Amos Hine and John J. Perkins and local volunteers. The interior was upgraded and painted in the current trompe l’oeil/grisaille decor in 1860 

Now known as First church of Christ, Woodbridge, the church Meetinghouse anchors the town center and is designated on the National Register of Historic Places. The church, the church green, and seven other buildings comprise a National Historic District. Historically and currently, the church is a center for both faith-based and secular community activities. As an Open and Affirming church which welcomes and includes everyone in the life of the church and with mission activities in Woodbridge, New Haven county, and the larger world, it remains culturally relevant.  

 

Building Maintenance 

As with any historic building, periodic maintenance, restoration, and redecorating of the Meetinghouse has been required throughout its history.  Major structural repairs and upgrades were conducted in the 1920’s, 50’s, 2001, and 2017. A new roof was installed in 2014. The trompe l‘oeil interior of the sanctuary was last repainted in 1986, the same year that repairs were made to the beams that supported the bell in the bell tower. To maintain the traiditional historical integrity of the building, the FCCW has always involved experts to advise and undertake the work.  

In late 2015, two large beams in the attic ‘failed’, the entire structure shifted, cornices and joints separated, and the plaster ceiling cracked. Paul Hubbard and Jeff Stauffer (both church members) cabled the beams to prevents further movements. The Conneticut Trust provided matching grant funds to hire qualified engineers and architects to conduct condition assessments of both structure (Jim Norden, GNCB, Old Saybrook) and plasterwork (David Riccio, John Canning Company, Cheshire). In addition, Mr. Norden provided specific structural engineering design documents. Further matching funds for the repair work was granted by the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) and, in accordance with their requisite bidding process, the stabilization of both ceilings and structure were successfully completed in 2017 and 2018 by the John Canning Company and Kronenberger & Sons (Middletown), respectively.  

The meetinghouse stabilization process, although success, resulted in large areas of unpainted plaster on the ceiling and cornices, in cosmetic damage to the trompe l’oeil decor with many cracks, and extensive areas of shiny ‘plugs’ where product was injected to secure the ceiling. 

 

Plaster Repair and Repainting 

Once again, SHPO provided a matching grant that supported a competitive bid process for an evaluation and recommendations for the restoration for the sanctuary. A formal report and budget estimate from the renowned John Canning Company were completed in February 2020. 

SHPO approved our contracting with the John Canning Company to take on both phases of the decorative work and enthusiastically supported the restoration effort with generous matching grants. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven also provided two generous grants. The First Church is most grateful to both organizations. 

The Decorative work included plorious trompe l’oeil decor on the ceiling and walls and re-installation of the plaster medallion above the chandelier. The repair and repainting of the pews, narthex and stairwells (Catalan) and the refinishing of the original 1832 old-growth pine flooring in the narthex (Sullivan) was subcontracted by Canning the total cost of the meetinghouse decor restoration and preservation that occurred in 2021 & 2023 was $498,065.00 

 

Fundraising 

For the small congregation of the First Church of Christ Woodbridge, the task of fundraising was daunting.  However, with extremely generous donations from the wider community and parishioners, the target goal for the sanctuary work was met – although it was insufficient to cover the cost of work in the narthex which will come from the operating budget of the church. Donations to the Sanctuary Fun have been made by individuals, families, and organizations: some were given in honor of or in memory of past members or loved ones. Thank you to everyone. 

Please continue to support the Sanctuary Fund, which both celebrates the courage and foresight of previous generations who cared for the FCCW and invests in future preservation efforts, by sending a check made out the FCCW, memo line: Sanctuary Fund, to the church office at 5 Meetinghouse Lane, Woodbridge, CT, 06525. PayPal may also be used to donate to the Sanctuary Fund. Gifts of any size are most appreciated.