Eighty-six years ago, the American Unitarian Association moved into its new headquarters, and took its old address, 25 Beacon Street, along. It’s true – the address was originally located on the other side of the Massachusetts State House. The Unitarians had grown so attached to it since taking up residence in 1886 (and they had such sway in Boston) that the State legislature passed a bill to allow the address to be moved, too, even though it would result in an out-of-sequence placement.
In March 2013, the UUA announced plans to sell its historic Beacon Hill properties and move to a modern building less than two miles away, in Boston’s “Innovation District.” We won’t be taking the address with us this time!
News and views on the move are available on the “Join the Move” Blog, offered by the UUA’s Office of Stewardship and Development. You can get the background on the decision to move, post a favorite memory of 25 Beacon Street, see photos and concept sketches of our destination at 24 Farnsworth Street, and share your vision of the future of Unitarian Universalism and its new home.
Recognizing that a new UUA headquarters is about more than just a physical move, the Stewardship and Development Office has created an opportunity for congregations and individual supporters to join in imagining and helping fund (1) innovative space that will launch the UUA into a future that better serves the world today, and (2) a Unitarian Universalist Heritage Center that will help preserve and portray our Boston history for youth groups and others who will continue to visit. The new building will honor our past, vastly improve effectiveness and efficiencies for our current organization, and help position Unitarian Universalism for a vibrant future.
Unitarian Universalism is on the move, and the “Join the Move” Campaign invites you and your congregation to partner with UUs from around the Association as we step forward together into a new era of commitment and covenant, to strengthen Unitarian Universalism in the world.
We dream of creating a pilgrimage destination that invites ministers, youth groups, and visitors into a space that inspires them.
- We dream of founding a spiritual center that weaves our history and our future together in meaningful ways.
- We dream of sharing a building that encourages connection and collaboration and that is technologically outfitted to support all of our congregations in their work.
The sale of the UUA’s Beacon Hill properties will provide enough to both buy the space and put money in the UUA’s endowment fund, which helps support the vital UUA programs that congregations and all UUs rely on. However, if we are going to build the new, inspiring spiritual home that we dream of and position our programs and resources to have the biggest impact, we will need to raise additional funds.
To help kick off this visionary campaign, we invite all UUA congregations to take up a special collection to celebrate and help advance our shared future, on a Join the Move Sunday.
The official date for “Join the Move Sunday” is October 6, 2013, but congregations can designate any day that works with their calendars. The UUA Office of 
Stewardship and Development will send out resources throughout the summer to provide worship ideas and information on how to make this special offering a meaningful celebration of Unitarian Universalism on the move.
Every congregation that participates will become a member of the UUA’s 24 Farnsworth Society. Members will be recognized at the groundbreaking of 24 Farnsworth Street, and with a special ribbon at GA 2014. You’ll even have the chance to win prizes!
For more information on “Join the Move Sunday,” details related to the new building, and materials related to the campaign, visit the Join the Move blog.