text: unitarian universalist church of arlington unitarian universalist church of arlington ( uuca ) , historically known as the unitarian church of arlington , is a unitarian universalist church located at arlington boulevard ( u.s. 50 ) in arlington county , virginia . founded in 1948 , uuca was the first unitarian church in washington , d.c. ' s suburbs . throughout its history , uuca has taken part in progressive causes from the civil rights movement to the legalization of same - sex marriage in virginia . during the civil rights movement , uuca was the only virginia church to speak out in favor of racial integration . uuca 's sanctuary building , designed by local architect charles m. goodman in 1964 , is a concrete brutalist structure that was listed on the national register of historic places and virginia landmarks register in 2014 . it is one of only three church buildings designed by goodman and the only one in virginia . history in the early 1940s , leaders from all souls church , established in 1821 as the first unitarian church in washington , d.c. , encouraged its suburban members to start new unitarian communities in their respective areas . the first one established in the suburbs was the unitarian church of arlington with support and funds from the " mother church " , all souls . the first meeting was held in george a. collier 's home , located at 832 south courthouse road , on september 16 , 1943 . the following services were held in various spaces on sunday afternoons so members could still attend the morning services at all souls . meeting spaces included the buckingham community room , ashton heights women 's club , and kate waller barrett school . gilbert a. phillips , an associate pastor at all souls , became the arlington church 's minister in 1946 . membership of the arlington congregation reached 117 by 1948 while the church school had an enrollment of 103 . that same year members voted to establish their own independent church . their approved resolution stated : " be it therefore resolved that the board of trustees be petitioned to terminate the fellowship as an instrumentality of all souls church as of march 31 , 1948 , and be it further resolved that this fellowship then be organized as a unitarian church affiliated with the american unitarian association . " as membership continued to grow , the congregation needed to find a permanent meeting place . the church purchased a 1 . 07 acre ( 0 . 43 ha ) lot at the intersection of present - day arlington boulevard and south george mason drive . in november 1948 , ground was broken on the church 's first building , located at 4451 1st place south , with assistance from the american unitarian association which gave the congregation a $ 15 , 000 loan . the original building was designed by architect and church member earl b. bailey . it was a brick colonial revival building containing an auditorium , a kitchen , an office for the minister , and a few meeting rooms . the first service in the new building was held in june 1949 and it was dedicated on october 2 . by 1950 , church membership had reached almost 250 . the success of the arlington church convinced all souls minister arthur powell davies to establish the greater washington association for unitarian advance ( later renamed the greater washington association for unitarian universalist churches ) in 1950 . the organization was founded to assist with establishing additional unitarian congregations in the washington , d.c. metropolitan area , and all souls and the arlington church were its first members . in 1953 a religious education wing , also designed by bailey , was added to the church building , increasing the size of the auditorium and adding classrooms and offices . by the following year the church building had already reached its capacity and the congregation began holding two services on sundays . the church school , with an enrollment of over 500 , also began holding two services on sundays . the church purchased adjoining property and in 1958 constructed the parsonage , a one - and - a - half story brick colonial revival building . by 1959 , there were eight unitarian congregations in washington , d.c. ' s suburbs , with the arlington church being the largest . the congregation began planning for a new facility and chose charles m. goodman , a prominent local architect known for his modernist work , to design the church building . a church committee wrote that it was " confident that mr. goodman ’ s concept of design , his wide experience , and his original and creative genius promise for us a distinctive building which will portray in structural form the spirit and aspiration of this congregation . " church leaders invited the congregation to give suggestions for goodman 's design which included " an architectural style which would express the inspiring tradition of unitarianism in virginia " and a " free form and no stained glass , [ resulting in ] a building to represent our cleavage with the past . " the congregation wanted the building to " reflect their liberal , progressive beliefs and that would signify the uuca 's leadership position within the denomination . " according to one uuca minister , " charles goodman spent a lot of time with the congregation and incorporating the values and theology of the congregation into the design of the building . " goodman finished his design in late 1961 and the church began seeking financing shortly thereafter . his design included plans for a main sanctuary and adjoining wing , the latter which was not built at the time due to budget concerns . construction of the sanctuary was carried out by the martin brothers contracting firm . the total cost was approximately $ 300 , 000 , and the dedication was held on march 22 , 1964 , with a sermon by dana mclean greeley entitled " building a faith for the future . " uuca 's sanctuary is one of only three churches designed by goodman and his only church building in virginia . his other two church designs are bethesda united church of christ in bethesda , maryland , and christ church of washington ( now called embassy church ) in washington , d.c. in the mid - to - late 1960s , attendance at church services and enrollment at the church school experienced dramatic decreases . the congregation replaced their minister and began a campaign to attract new members . attendance gradually increased over the next several years and by 1974 , membership had reached 724 . the church continued to thrive throughout the next decade and by the late 1980s , church members decided more space was needed . the congregation held meetings regarding the church expansion throughout the next several years . finally , in 1993 , members approved the construction of an addition to the sanctuary . the new wing , designed by kerns group architects of washington , d.c. and built by dustin construction , inc. of gaithersburg , maryland , was dedicated on october 2 , 1994 . the addition included classrooms and office space , a chapel , and meetings rooms . the design of the new wing was praised by architectural critics and kerns group architects received an excellence in architecture award from the american institute of architects 's virginia chapter . an additional expansion , designed by group of fairfax , virginia , and built by sully construction of sterling , virginia , was added in 2013 and includes a hall space and multipurpose activity room . uuca 's 1964 sanctuary was listed on the virginia landmarks register in september 2014 and the national register of historic places on november 19 , 2014 , following a two - year effort for the building to be named a historic landmark . one of the church 's leaders said " we 're hoping by it being put on the national registry , people will realize that the physical presence of a group in a community matters . it says something to the world . " the 900 - member congregation is currently led by aaron , a former union representative , and linda olson peebles , an artist and musician who served on the unitarian universalist board of trustees for eight years and officiated the first same - sex marriage in virginia in 2014 . prominent members , past and present , at uuca include representative william r. of connecticut and arlington county board member jay , virginia 's first openly gay elected official . activism like other unitarian congregations , uuca is a liberal church that has been active in social justice causes and interfaith dialogue throughout its history . when uuca was founded , church leaders wrote " our church like all unitarian churches , is dedicated to the progressive transformation and ennoblement of individual and social life through religion , in accordance with the advancing knowledge and the growing vision of mankind . " in 1949 , a time when most local organizations were segregated , the church operated a children 's summer camp open to all races . during the 1950s , the church was one of the few places in northern virginia where black and white individuals met to discuss race relations and ways to improve society . in 1951 , uuca minister ross allen weston founded the community council for social progress , an interracial , interfaith group that promoted " full development of democratic principles in human relationship " . uuca 's members were active during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s , protesting against segregation and other unfair treatments of minorities . uuca minister weston , who was also president of the unitarian fellowship for social justice , even received a letter of gratitude from martin luther king , jr . following the landmark 1954 supreme court decision , bolling v. sharpe , which made segregation in washington , d.c. ' s public schools illegal , virginia governor thomas b. stanley sought input from the state 's citizens . uuca was the only virginia church who spoke out in favor of integration . in october 1958 , the church received a bomb threat the morning of a sermon by rabbi emmet a. frank of temple beth - el . this was part of a larger effort by the american nazi party , headquartered in arlington , to intimidate synagogues and other institutions affiliated with or friendly towards judaism . the bomb threat was widely condemned by area churches and the arlington congregation released a statement saying it would not be intimidated , harassed , or coerced to change the way it practiced religion . the church continued to support civil rights causes in the 1960s , registering black voters from arlington county , and renaming its 1949 building ( now demolished ) reeb hall in honor of james reeb , an all souls minister who was killed by segregationists while protesting in selma , alabama . since the 1970s , church members have continued to advocate social justice causes including , but not limited to , environmentalism , women 's rights , lgbt rights , and affordable housing . one of uuca 's most prominent projects was the culpepper garden senior center , a nonprofit retirement housing community for low - income senior citizens , which opened in 1975 and has expanded since then . from the 1990s until it was demolished in 2011 , reeb hall was rented out to nonprofit groups including the northern virginia chapter of habitat for humanity and arlington street people 's assistance network . since the 1990s , kol ami , a reconstructionist jewish community , has met at uuca in the library and fellowship rooms . design and location the church is located on a 3 . 97 acre ( 1 . 61 ha ) lot on the southwest corner of arlington boulevard ( u.s. 50 ) and south george mason drive near the arlington forest neighborhood . the property extends south to first place south , a residential street where the church parsonage is located . a large parking lot , where reeb hall once stood , is on the south and west sides of the property . church attendees access the building 's 1994 wing from the parking lot via concrete walkways and a concrete pedestrian bridge beneath a steel canopy . south of the church is the memorial wall and garden , dedicated in 1996 . the landscaped garden includes concrete walls , paths , and benches . concrete blocks inscribed with the names of church members are also found throughout the garden . south of the garden is a playground , built in 2007 , that is enclosed by a wooden fence . the 1964 sanctuary , which faces the road intersection , is on the northeast corner of the property on a wooded knoll . uuca is composed of three sections : the 1964 sanctuary is a rectangular - shaped , two - story reinforced concrete building ; the 1994 addition is a two - story rectangular - shaped concrete structure on the south side of the sanctuary ; the 2013 addition is a two - story square - shaped concrete structure on the east side of the 1994 addition and southeast corner of the sanctuary . the two additions " complement the original building in their scale , style , material , and fenestration pattern , and fulfill goodman ’ s original plans to expand the church with additional space for educational , administrative , and social functions . " they are set back and at a lower height in deference to the sanctuary . the sanctuary is a precast concrete building designed in the brutalist style . it features an overhanging concrete flat roof , concrete block foundation , and corrugated concrete wall panels . square clerestory windows are on the north , east , and west sides of the building 's top level and narrow fixed - light windows are on the first floor . the east and west sides of the sanctuary are five bays wide while the north and south sides feature three bays , a large central bay with a smaller bay on each side . the bays are defined by tall concrete columns , spaced 16 feet ( 4 . 9 m ) apart , that stand from the ground to the underside of the roof . pale blue wooden doors flanked by black wooden frames provide access to the sanctuary while there are two narrow doors on the north side . the main entrance to the sanctuary is on the south side where the 1994 addition is sited . the 1994 addition runs along the entire south side of the sanctuary and extends west past the building . it is a 26 , 000 sq ft ( 2 , 400 m2 ) building that includes a social hall , classrooms , and office space . like the sanctuary , the 1994 addition features a flat roof and concrete foundation . the concrete walls are a lighter color than the sanctuary and are also smoother . a one - story terrace was originally on the southeast corner of the 1994 addition , but this was replaced by the 2013 addition , named the celebration center . the celebration center is also faced with light - colored concrete and has a random - coursed stone facing on its east side . similar to the sanctuary , it features an overhanging roof and wrapping clerestory windows . the sanctuary 's meeting space measures 62 feet ( 19 m ) by 62 feet and features a polished reinforced concrete floor set in a large grid pattern . the north , east , and west walls are faced with beige brick while the ceiling is exposed concrete . the sanctuary 's design allows for the meeting space to have natural lighting which is complimented by patterned rows of light fixtures along the ceiling . the fixtures are the original black - painted , metal cylinders designed by goodman . a 2 . 5 foot ( 0 . 76 m ) high concrete platform stage , now covered with wood , is on the north wall . it features a wheelchair ramp obscured by a decorative wood screen . seating in the meeting space is composed of padded , moveable pews and chairs . there are two staircase lobbies on the south side of the meeting space that lead to the first floor . the east staircase provides access to the choir balcony via concrete dogleg stairs and an elevator installed in 1974 . goodman chose to place the choir on the south side of the space because he considered it " the most desirable location for a choir . " the balcony features stepped stairs for choir members and a large pipe organ . the ground floor is a north - south corridor plan with an east - west corridor on the south side giving access to the staircases . the lower floor , which includes meeting and storage spaces , features concrete floors in most areas , concrete block dividing walls , and concrete ceilings .