{"nrhp_refnum":"01000054","name":"Peru Community Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"12 Elm St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Peru","county":"Clinton County","state":"NY","lat":44.57871363000004,"lon":-73.52722606999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-02-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":[],"significance_levels":[],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A sandstone Gothic Revival church building at 12 Elm Street in Peru, Clinton County, New York, built in 1833 by stone mason Robert York, Sr. for a Congregational congregation.","why_significant":"The nomination cites significance in architecture, settlement and social history. It has served as a continuous house of worship for over 166 years, is the only surviving Protestant church in Peru, and housed the first federated church in Clinton County, formed in 1944. It is also an intact example of early 19th-century Gothic Revival church architecture in the North Country.","narrative":"Built in 1833 on a small V-shaped lot at Elm and Pleasant Streets in Peru, New York, this rubble sandstone church was raised by a young Congregational congregation. Stone mason Robert York, Sr., an English immigrant, built it in the Gothic Revival style, with a gable front, center entry, pointed-arch windows with stone voussoirs, a molded cornice with returns and a wood steeple with pinnacles. A 1949 rear addition by local architect Alvin Walter Inman added social space. Inside, the original plaster walls and oak pews survive. The congregation was founded in 1822 and was closely tied to Presbyterian and Methodist neighbors. In 1944, after the Methodist church was condemned, the two groups federated here as the Peru Community Church, the first federated church in Clinton County. Records also show the congregation openly opposed slavery and that local citizens aided people fleeing to Canada. It remains the only surviving Protestant church in Peru and has served as a community shelter, including during the 1998 ice storm.","period_of_significance":"1833-1950","architect_builder":"Architect: Unknown; Stone Mason: Robert York, Sr.","architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century / Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; the form describes ongoing worship and community outreach services.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.268397-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/01000054.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000054/4e82f8772b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000054/4e82f8772b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Penelope Clute","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peru_Community_Church_south_side.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Penelope Clute</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:Peru_Community_Church_south_side.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316941","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru_Community_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7170967"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/clinton-county/peru-community-church-01000054/"}