Last May, Portsmouth residents and members of the North Church congregation celebrated the completion of major renovation work. The iconic steeple in Market Square had been rebuilt, a new roof had been installed and a slew of other repairs had been made, giving the church a significant facelift and improving its structural integrity. The church’s clockworks were also restored.

It was a major project that encountered several setbacks, including a violent windstorm in July 2006 that sent the church’s spire scaffolding crashing onto Pleasant Street. When restored, the steeple and new roof looked better and stopped water from leaking in. But, as the interior began to dry, especially the narthex (or lobby) the plaster and paint started to chip and flake. In January 2008, the church shut down again so that crews could work on the interior. After months of work, North Church is set to reopen on Sunday, March 16—this time for good. 

In the original restoration plan, church officials intended to fix the plaster and add new paint, but it made sense to wait until the exterior was finished. In November 2007, the church membership authorized additional funds to complete the interior work.   

After Christmas holiday services were over and the city’s First Night celebration had been cleaned up, it was time to get down to business on the new paint and plaster job. The first task was to remove the pews and reinforce the flooring so that it could support the painters’ scaffolding. Removing the pews revealed a beautiful sawn oak floor that was in need of serious work.

“One thing always leads to another,” said North Church Cabinet chair Betty Gilman. Church officials seized the opportunity to restore the floor and rearrange the pews to provide more wheelchair access. “We’ve always had handicap access, but never any place for a person with a wheelchair,” Gilman said.

The North Church is the spiritual home of the United Church of Christ. It was built in 1854 and dedicated the following year. With a building that’s over 150 years old, there’s always bound to be repair work on the horizon. “Could we keep on going? Yes, but this is the extent of our plan,” Gilman said. 

During the North Church repairs, services have been held at the Parish House Chapel on Spinney Road in Portsmouth. Once all the work is completed, church officials look forward to inviting the community back into the building.

“From the beginning, one of our hopes was that the community would be able to use it more. This is another step in that direction, which we’re very proud of,” said Reverend Dawn A. Shippee, senior pastor of North Church.

The church will reopen for worship on Palm Sunday, March 16, at 10:30 a.m., followed by Easter Service at 10:30 a.m. on March 23. The service schedule will return to normal on March 30, with 9 a.m. services in Parish House Chapel and 10:30 a.m. services in the Market Square church.