An important eclectic classical institutional design, the church was built originally for the Old Cambridge Baptist Society on Kirkland Street not far from Harvard Square (HS1). In 1866 the North Avenue Congregational Church acquired and moved it up Massachusetts Avenue. The church remains a significant example of Isaac Melvin's work despite the loss of its original steeple, roof balustrade, and acroteria. After the move, S. S. Woodcock added a transept on the rear and placed the building on a raised basement. Later in the nineteenth century, a simple classical belfry with a copper dome replaced the elegant twostage steeple and spire. When struck by lightning in 1964, the current poorly scaled and detailed steeple replaced it.