King's Chapel, Colonial church on Tremont Street, Boston, United States
King's Chapel is a Georgian church on Boston's Tremont Street, recognizable by its unfinished façade of gray granite stone. The tower was originally meant to carry a spire, but it was never built, leaving the upper platform open.
Peter Harrison designed the building starting in 1749 to replace a wooden chapel erected in 1688 for Anglican colonists. After the American Revolution, the congregation broke away from the Anglican faith and became Unitarian.
The congregation practices Unitarianism and holds services in a space that has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century. The wooden pews still carry the name plates of the families who originally rented them.
Access is through Tremont Street, right next to the adjoining burial ground, which can be explored before entering the nave. Visitors should note that the entrance is at the lower level and several steps lead upward.
The interior shows a rare combination of colonial ornamentation and Unitarian simplicity, with the ceiling supported by Corinthian columns. The space was redesigned to remove the altar and replace it with a simple reading desk.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
