Designed by noted Boston architect Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) in the Adamesque-Federal style and constructed by master builder Thomas Hearsey in 1816, First Church of Christ, Lancaster, is one of only two surviving Bulfinch churches and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

Construction of the fifth edifice of the First Church in Lancaster was ordered by vote of the Town of Lancaster, Massachusetts and the money to pay for it was raised by assessing the pews. The cornerstone was laid July 9, 1816. The structure was completed in 151 working days and dedicated on January 1, 1817. The total cost of construction was $19,088.66.

Its facade, with a two- stage brick tower topped by a beautifully proportioned wood cupola surrounded by Roman Ionic columns, and fronted by a giant arcuated portico, is especially noteworthy. Neither artificial lighting nor central heat have been introduced, and except for minor changes in the interior, the church remains substantially as originally built.

In 1867, an organ was installed in the gallery. By this time, eight of the nine windows in the north (rear) wall, arranged in two tiers of four on either side of the pulpit, had been closed. In 1881, the existing two-story, half-hexagonal-shaped Thayer Memorial Chapel was added to the north end of the church, making it the only exterior alteration to the structure. At this time the ninth window was closed off, two doors were cut in the north wall to provide access to the new chapel, and four pews on either side of the pulpit were removed.

Today, the First Church of Christ, Lancaster supports an active congregation that combines Christian traditions and services with the principles and core values of the Unitarian Universalist faith. With a history dating back to 1653 as a Puritan congregation, it was the first parish established in Central Massachusetts.