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All the United States Massachusetts Boston Tremont Temple

Tremont Temple

The site where Charles Dickens gave his first public reading of "A Christmas Carol" in the US.

Boston, Massachusetts

Added By
J.W. Ocker
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Tremont Temple   http://www.OddThingsIveSeen.com
Tremont Temple   http://www.OddThingsIveSeen.com
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Tremont Temple   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is exactly the kind of story you’d like to be told out loud, and the author did exactly that across Europe and America. The first time he read it in public in the United States occurred on December 2, 1867, at the Tremont Temple in Boston.

Originally called the Tremont Theatre when it opened in 1827, the building was bought in 1843 by a Baptist group, renamed The Tremont Temple, and used for religious observances. However, over its history as a church, it was still utilized for various public events such as plays, movies, exhibits, and speeches.

In 1852, the Tremont Temple burned down and had to be rebuilt. It happened again in 1879, a little over a decade after Dickens’ reading, and then again in 1893. The current version of the Tremont Temple was built in 1896 and stands in the same spot as the original, which today is right on the Freedom Trail. It’s a massive, golden stone edifice that is still actively used as a church and, like its predecessors, seats a couple thousand.

Adapted with Permission from The New England Grimpendium by J.W. Ocker

Related Tags

Charles Dickens Architectural Oddities Sacred Spaces Architecture

Community Contributors

Added By

JWOcker

Edited By

Blindcolour, GerhardM, Jaszmina Szendrey, ickaimp...

  • Blindcolour
  • GerhardM
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • ickaimp
  • e1savage
  • cait7911
  • Deniseg2266

Published

May 8, 2012

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  • The New England Grimpendium: http://www.amazon.com/New-England-Grimpendium-J-Ocker/dp/0881509191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279457058&sr=8-1
Tremont Temple
88 Tremont St.
Boston, Massachusetts, 02108
United States
42.35764, -71.06067
Get Directions

Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 32

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Charles Dickens' Door and Mirror

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Boston's Old Burying Grounds

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King's Chapel Crypt

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

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Stories 32

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