{"nrhp_refnum":"00001161","name":"First Congregational Church","other_names":["First United Church of Christ, Congregational"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"802 Prairie St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marblehead","county":"Ottawa County","state":"OH","lat":41.54234585700004,"lon":-82.73466329499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-09-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A limestone church building at 802 Prairie Street in Marblehead, Ottawa County, Ohio, built in 1900 to a design by Chicago architect Oliver W. Marble, with Ed Bertsch as builder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a significant example of an Akron Plan church, in the corner-pulpit sub-type, and of the Richardsonian Romanesque style under Criterion C. Its interior arrangement and its exterior of rock-faced limestone, round arches, a corner tower and intersecting gables closely follow the standard form for such churches. It retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"This limestone church at 802 Prairie Street in Marblehead, Ohio, was built in 1900 for a Congregational group founded in 1873 with 17 members. Chicago architect Oliver W. Marble designed it, and Ed Bertsch was the builder. The walls are locally quarried rock-faced limestone, and a massive corner tower with a round-arch entry dominates the facade. Stained glass, paired windows with stone mullions and transom bars, and intersecting gables on a hipped roof mark the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Inside, the plan follows the Akron Plan, with Sunday School and class rooms opening into the main auditorium through wood roll-up doors. The pulpit sits in a corner diagonally opposite the entrance, with curved pews and radiating aisles. The tower is topped by an unusual astrolabe, probably reflecting the area's nautical heritage. It was listed for architecture because it is a representative example of this church type and retains a high degree of integrity despite minor changes such as a new roof material.","period_of_significance":"1900","architect_builder":"Marble, Oliver W. (architect); Bertsch, Ed (builder)","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a religious facility; changes over time have been few and minor, including an asphalt shingle roof replacing slate and a replacement astrolabe on the tower.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.478252-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/00001161.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001161/6ddf3f5b00-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001161/6ddf3f5b00-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MarbleheadOH_FirstCongChurch.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MarbleheadOH_FirstCongChurch.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990817","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congregational_Church_(Marblehead,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452809"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/ottawa-county/first-congregational-church-00001161/"}