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Hopedale Unitarian Parish Hopedale, MA

The Draper Memorial Church, now the Hopedale Unitarian Parish, was erected through the generosity of the Draper family. The Drapers Corporation, headquartered in Hopedale, was at one time the largest maker of power looms for the textile industry in the United States. Dedicated in 1898, the church was designed in the English Gothic style by Ashmont architect Edwin James Lewis. The formidable looking edifice, built of locally quarried granite, features many hallmarks of the English Gothic style.


Our firm’s first project at the Parish was the performance of a comprehensive conditions assessment and phased improvement plan in 2011. Critical masonry deficiencies, including the complete absence of cross ties and porous infill behind the granite veneer, were discovered that were addressed the following year in an extensive masonry restoration campaign at the tower and buttresses.

Work continued at the church building in 2017 with conceptual design for handicap access solutions.