This religious community traces its history back to 1712, when the General Court of Massachusetts created a separate precinct at the western end of the town of Roxbury and allowed the residents to organize a new church. Originally known as the Second Parish of Roxbury, it later became the First Parish of West Roxbury. The town of West Roxbury joined the city of Boston in 1873.

Established as a Calvinist Protestant church, the congregation adopted a conservative Unitarian theology in the 1830s and followed its minister, Theodore Parker (1810-1860)-an ardent advocate for the abolition of slavery-to a more liberal position in the 1840s. When the First Parish of West Roxbury merged with the Unitarian Church of Roslindale in 1962, the congregation decided to name their new community in memory of Theodore Parker.

The colonial meetinghouse (picture to the right) at Church and Centre Streets, where Parker preached, was so badly damaged by fire in 1890 that the First Parish decided to erect a new stone building (the current parish house) at Corey and Centre Streets. In 1900, the growing congregation constructed the present meetinghouse.
	For its architectural significance, its beautiful Tiffany windows (pictured at left), and its unique place in the history of West Roxbury, the church has been designated an historic landmark by the City of Boston. The congregation has completed major repairs and refurbishing of the sanctuary. Check out pictures of the windows here.