Crombie Street Church

Located at 7 Crombie Street, this Federal-Greek Revival transitional building was built as a theatre in 1827/28.

The theatre did not thrive and in 1832 the building passed to a dissenting group from the Howard Street Church which established itself as the "New Congregational Church" and then the "Crombie Street Church." Their first pastor was William Williams, graduate of Yale, installed as pastor of the Howard Street church in 1821, resigning in 1832 to lead this new church. Later in life Mr. Williams was a practicing physician in Salem, with an active interest in this Church.

The Crombie Street Church is now closed and has been remodeled as condominiums.

Starting approximately in 1979, Salem Mission operated a homeless shelter and served meals to the homeless until moving to 56 Margin Street, using the St. Mary's Italian church which had closed its doors in 2003. The Mission changed its name to Lifebridge in 2009.

See Also

• Vertical File in Salem Collection - Salem Mission

• Architecture in Salem by Bryant K. Tolles, p. 105.

• Crombie Street Congregational Church; one hundredth anniversary Rev. Kopf, 1932.