{"nrhp_refnum":"02001398","name":"First Reformed Dutch Church of Bethlehem","other_names":["First Reformed Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"US 9W","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bethlehem","county":"Albany County","state":"NY","lat":42.56638422900005,"lon":-73.80254495475441,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A frame church complex on US Route 9W in the Town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York, built in 1890 to designs by Albany architect Ernest Hoffman. It sits on a 105.84-acre glebe with an 1844 parsonage, two sheds and two archaeological sites.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a fine local example of late nineteenth century ecclesiastical architecture, blending Victorian Gothic and Queen Anne elements, and the work of respected architect Ernest Hoffman. It is also significant for more than 200 years of continuous use by one congregation and as a rare surviving eighteenth century glebe that keeps its rural setting.","narrative":"This church complex on US Route 9W in Bethlehem, Albany County, occupies a 105.84-acre glebe that Stephen Van Rensselaer deeded to the congregation in 1795. The present two-and-a-half-story frame church was built in 1890 after fire destroyed an 1822 Federal style building. Albany architect Ernest Hoffman designed it with steep gable roofs, Gothic arched windows, a corner bell tower and complex massing influenced by the Queen Anne style. It cost just under $12,000 and was planned to seat 500. Modern siding covers the original clapboards, yet the building keeps its form and much historic fabric. The grounds also hold an 1844 parsonage, two late nineteenth century sheds, and the sites of earlier parsonage and sexton's houses. Part of the former farm lot became a reforested wildlife preserve in 1947. The property is valued for its architecture, its long continuous religious use and its surviving rural setting amid suburban growth.","period_of_significance":"ca.1792-1890","architect_builder":"Hoffman, Ernest (architect)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Queen Anne; Early Republic/Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The church remains an active congregation and community focal point; the grounds include a forest and wildlife preserve managed by the church.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.999833-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02001398.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001398/a8f98a14bd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001398/a8f98a14bd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"TrudiJ","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Dutch_Reformed_Church_Selkirk.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">TrudiJ</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:First_Dutch_Reformed_Church_Selkirk.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316227","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Reformed_Dutch_Church_of_Bethlehem","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137189602"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/albany-county/first-reformed-dutch-church-of-bethlehem-02001398/"}