{"nrhp_refnum":"01001043","name":"Westminster Church","other_names":["The First Spiritualist Temple","Fra-95-18"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"77 S. 6th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.961371893000035,"lon":-82.99304071499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-09-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Romanesque Revival limestone church at 77 South 6th Street, at the corner of 6th and State Streets in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was built in 1857 as Westminster Church and is now the First Spiritualist Temple.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is an early local example of Romanesque Revival architecture under Criterion C. It is described as the oldest surviving building in Columbus built with ornamental terra cotta. It is also one of only two Romanesque Revival churches in downtown Columbus.","narrative":"Built in 1857 at the corner of 6th and State Streets in downtown Columbus, this limestone church was first home to the Westminster congregation, formed in 1854 by members of the First Presbyterian Church. Cincinnati architect John R. Hamilton designed it, with John Stoddard as stone mason and John Clark as carpenter. It cost about $16,000 and seated 500. Its Romanesque Revival features include buttresses, round-arched windows, a front tower that never received its planned spire, and extensive terra cotta detailing. It is described as the oldest surviving Columbus building constructed with ornamental terra cotta, which is central to its architectural importance. In 1901, after Westminster merged with Second Presbyterian, the building was sold and renamed the First Spiritualist Temple, with a stipulation that it must always remain a place of worship. A brick addition from 1859 on the north side serves as a fellowship hall. The church continues in religious use.","period_of_significance":"1857-1905","architect_builder":"John R. Hamilton, architect; John Clark, carpenter; John Stoddard, stone work","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Romanesque, Romanesque Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church (First Spiritualist Temple); the form notes some terra cotta damage and the bricking-up of two windows in the late 1980s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.578684-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/01001043.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001043/baafdf08c2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001043/baafdf08c2-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westminster_Presbyterian_Church,_First_Spiritualist_Cathedral.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westminster_Presbyterian_Church,_First_Spiritualist_Cathedral.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988394","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Presbyterian_Church_(Columbus,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7989189"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/westminster-church-01001043/"}