All Souls Church, Unitarian was established in 1821 by national leaders including President John Quincy Adams, Vice President John C. Calhoun, and Capitol Architect Charles Bulfinch, and its church bell – forged by Paul Revere’s son Joseph – served as the community town bell. Designed in the Colonial Revival style, the building reflects Unitarian ideals, harmonizing with the architecture of Washington. All Souls is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites, and it is a contributing building in the National Register-listed Meridian Hill Historic District as part of the 16th Street’s “Avenue of Churches.”  

The church has a large and committed congregation that has been involved and social justice work for decades. Its most significant program – The Reeb Voting Rights Project– seeks to mobilize voter turnout, especially within historically marginalized constituencies, and is named for All Souls Minister James Reeb, who was a civil rights martyr in Selma in 1965. Together with community partners like Reclaim Our Vote, Center for Common Ground, Side with Love Action Center, New Virginia Majority, and Washington Interfaith Network, and national organizations such as UUs for Social Justice and UU the Vote, it has organized and mobilized thousands of voters in places where full and fair participation in elections is at risk. All Souls has also been a leader in LGBTQ+ rights and was the location of the signing of D.C.’s Marriage Equality Act in 2009. 

A National Fund grant of $250,000 with matching funds of at least $500,000 to be raised by the congregation will support a proposed project scope that includes drainage, piping, and waterproofing work to ensure that water infiltration does not continue to damage the building.  

All Souls Church, Unitarian by Rosalind Eaton

First Church in Oberlin