Stoneham TV: First Unitarian Church of Stoneham, MA, Repurposed

Stoneham TV: First Unitarian Church of Stoneham, MA, Repurposed

Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, their foundations, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often intimate groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work.

This Post will be a bit atypical compared to other posts I've written. First Unitarian Church of Stoneham is no longer an active church, having closed its doors long ago in 1995. This is an example of a building that has lived on, repurposed to serve a new community need, and in its second life continues to serve Stoneham and the surrounding areas by fostering creativity, community, and an outlet for free speech.

I approached the organization, told them about my blog, and my desire to perhaps have a tour of the facility, and Amy Brough Palmerino, the station Executive Director, kindly took time to provide a detailed account of the station history, how the building was modified, and what services it provides today.

Building History

An Explore Stoneham website dates the Unitarian Church back to 1840, in a building located at the same site. The Wikipedia page seems to provide some contrary information suggestion that the congregation was formed in 1858. Both sites seem to agree that the current building was constructed in 1869 and opened in 1870. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the area it resides in is locally referred to as Church Square due to the close proximity of St. James Methodist Church, First Congregational Church, and a former Baptist chapel which is now property of the local American Legion chapter. The building has some American Gothic elements which can be noted in the stained glass windows, and doors that Stoneham TV has preserved and incorporated into the new interior layout. A steeple/spire used to adorn the bell tower, however it had to be removed in the 1980s due to some structural damages.

Stoneham TV History at First Unitarian Church

The property was originally purchased by a non-profit organization M.E.L.D. Center Inc. which at the time was producing educational programming at the site. Today the organization still exists appears to be involved with providing grants to similar activities. Stoneham TV worked with M.E.L.D. to establish an arrangement to purchase the site in the mid 2000s. The community access TV station has modified the site extensively to build out studios, recording rooms, a conference room, a podcast recording area, and of course various areas to house the equipment involved with broadcasting their programming on the several cable providers, as well as streaming content online.

The Facility

Great thought was put into preserving various features of the original building, from several of the gothic wooden doors which are now featured in the lobby/reception area, and other pieces that have been repurposed into furniture. Portions of some stained glass windows were built into the conference room table, and another door was reused as a table to hold rewards that the station had received, which Amy mentioned that her husband had helped to construct. Certain stained glass windows were moved to one side of the building to be featured in a main hallway that connects the functional areas of the facility. Amy detailed the care in moving the windows, surrounding them with foam to ensure that they didn't break. She also reminisced on the remodeling of the interior, providing direction to ensure that the hanging ceiling in the hallway did not obscure the window frames.

The table, previously described made from a former church door.

The windows themselves strike me as very Unitarian as the scenes and designs are far more secular than the Biblical scenes that windows often depict.

Amy described the window that children painted in the TV station which depicts prominent buildings of Stoneham. A very clever way to involve children of the community, and to fill a gap where a completed stained glass window was not available.

The studio above is available for programs to be filmed, it even features a large green screen wall. Amy mentioned that the space is occasionally made available for functions as well. 

Shots of the control centers for the various recording studios demonstrate how effective First Unitarian's space has been in provide the accommodations of the TV station. 

These doors were moved from different locations in the building and are featured prominently in a well appointed reception area.

Services to the Community

Like the church that once occupied the space, First Unitarian fosters a sense of community, unites people, provides purpose to citizens and makes them feel valued. It provides resources to teach about various communications mediums from television, to podcasting, to social media. The services are free for anyone that lives or works in Stoneham, while people outside of town can become members. The station offers an outlet of free speech to Stoneham residents. From filming town meetings (a distinct government channel is available), children's sports events, or the personal hobbies and interests of a community, Stoneham TV sparks creativity, provides tools for greater connectivity, and really enriches lives of citizens. For a schedule of the public portion which includes the non-government content, including services from area churches, see this link. Amy mentioned various activities, such as providing access to the building to children during Stoneham's annual Halloween Stroll.

One interesting example of content produced by Stoneham TV, and its legacy on the community is the creation of the Howard Porter Art Group. Howard Porter created the art group which featured different artists on a community program. Porter himself used the group and a related show in part to bring awareness towards Parkinson's Disease. Art work from the group tastefully decorates the building. This link shows Porter detailing his work, and other programs from the group can be found on Stoneham TV Ondemand.

Fundraising

Stoneham TV relies upon charitable donations for much of its funding. They have various activities throughout the year to help make their station possible. One such activity is an annual Auction which is broadcast on the station. In 2018 the auction will air on December 8th and donations are currently being sought for the event.  Please see the website for further information.

Special thanks to Amy Brough Palmerino for providing the tour and information to assist me in making this post possible. I only wish I could have gone into half of the stories and depth that she provided on my thoughtful visit. Her devotion to Stoneham TV is clearly evident and the community is certainly lucky for her influence, as well as the terrific contributions of so many others through the years.

Text and photographs by George Parks

Sources are embedded in links