On June 2, 1897 the Hopedale Unitarian Parish Council met to hear plans for constructing a new church. The idea had been discussed for over a year, and on this date Anna Bancroft, clerk of the Parish, read a letter from brothers George Albert and Eben S. Draper offering to build the new edifice as a memorial to their parents, George and Hannah Draper.

Boston architect Edwin J. Lewis showed his designs to the council members. He was an active Unitarian and had designed several churches around New England. His plan was “English Gothic of the Perpendicular period” made of Milford granite with Indiana limestone trimmings and a roof of green slate. Indiana limestone was also used in the chancel arches and aisle, and the interior roof details were left exposed “as in the old English Parish churches” with oak finishes and flooring. Built using the funds of the Draper fortune, the church had the latest mod-cons including gas, electricity, central heating, and bathroom facilities.

The only problem with putting a new church on the site was Adin Ballou’s original meetinghouse would have to be torn down. Built in 1860 through the generosity of the congregation and Ballou admirers and supporters from around the county, that building was “large enough to seat comfortably five hundred persons” according to Rev. Samuel May who attended the dedication of Ballou’s church in November 1860. The new church would only seat slightly over 300 and the pews were assigned to the upper echelons of Hopedale society.

Draper Memorial Church was dedicated with great fanfare on September 15, 1898. The church was filled “to its utmost capacity.” Extra seats were placed in the front and rear of the sanctuary, and people stood in the side aisles to hear the words of invited guests like Edward Everett Hale of Boston and former Hopedale minister A.S. Garver, now of Worcester. At a reception following the dedication, the doors were opened and the public viewed the beautiful building. “The architect did his work well. He is certainly to be congratulated,” Jessie Preston Draper, George Albert Draper’s wife, told the press.

Today’s Hopedale Unitarian Parish church stands as an excellent example of an English country church built during the opulence of the Gilded Age in a small New England town. Architect Lewis included a variety of spaces for the many existing church groups, including a large parish hall, a well-appointed ladies’ parlor and cozy sewing room, and full kitchen facilities. This diversity allows the building to be used today for a myriad of purposes including meetings, entertainment, music, and holiday fairs.