Charles Street Meeting House

The Charles Street Meeting House at the corner of Charles and Mount Vernon Streets in Boston, around 1889 and 2015. Designed by prominent architect Asher Benjamin, it was completed in 1807 and was, for many years, the home of the Third Baptist Church. During this time, the congregation was heavily involved in the abolitionist movement, and the church hosted important speakers such as Frederick Douglass, Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, and Sojourner Truth.

By the time the first photo was taken around 1889, the building was the home of the Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, which remained here until 1939. The building was eventually converted into offices, but the exterior has remained largely unchanged during this time, and it is one of the 15 landmarks that comprise the Boston African American National Historic Site.