The Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design and Quincy Preserves are hosting a tour of historic churches in and around Quincy on Saturday, May 10, in celebration of National Historic Preservation Month.

The tour starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Cost is $10.

The tour will feature Mendon Congregational Church and six churches in the Quincy area -- Quincy University's chapel, Central Baptist Church, Luther Memorial Church, Bethel AME Church and the old Notre Dame Chapel. Volunteers will be on hand to talk about the history and architecture.

Quincy University's chapel, 1800 College, was built in 1911. The architect was Brother Anselm Wolff who broke from the traditional gothic themes and designed the chapel in the Romanesque style. The Rev. Tom Brown supervised the renovation of the chapel in 1956 and painted the central figure of Christ the Pantocrator in the dome of the sanctuary.

Central Baptist Church, Seventh and Broadway, was built in 1942 and designed by architects Behrensmeyer and Hafner in the Gothic Revival style. The church is the consolidation of the First Baptist Church and Vermont Street Baptist Church. First Baptist was at Eighth and Jersey, then 10th and Washington. Vermont Street Baptist was at Seventh and Vermont, on the church's current parking lot.

Luther Memorial Church, 12th and Jersey, was built in 1894 in the Gothic Revival style and designed by architect Harvey Chatten. It was built by Buerkin and Kaempen Builders, who built many large buildings in Quincy, including the current Quincy Junior High School building across Jersey Street. The stone-and-shingle church has a steeply pitched roof, numerous gables and flared eaves.

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Ninth and Oak, was built in 1871. Harvey Chatten designed a remodeling in 1893. The brick-and-stone church has undergone a series of remodelings, including the removal of the front stained-glass windows and removal of the steeple. The detailed brickwork on the front of the building indicates the craftsmanship used.

The old Notre Dame Chapel was at Eighth and Vermont. Behind it, on Seventh and Vermont, is the Holy Family Chapel built in 1904. Ernest Wood was the architect. The chapel was frescoed in 1906 to celebrate Mother Boniface's golden jubilee. She was instrumental in having the structure built. During the early 1970s, a fire destroyed the old Notre Dame School but was stopped at the chapel.

This year, the Mendon Congregational Church is celebrating its 175th anniversary. The current structure is Gothic Revival. Members of the founding congregation were involved in the Underground Railroad, with a bounty on many of their heads in Missouri.

Refreshments will be sold at several of the churches to raise funds for their activities.

Tickets are on sale for $8 at the Gardner Museum, 332 Maine. Tickets will be sold for $10 at each of the churches on the day of the tour.

For more information, call the Gardner Museum at 224-6873.