{"nrhp_refnum":"02001618","name":"Bedford Baptist Church","other_names":["Old Bedford Baptist Church","Bedford Community Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"750 Broadway Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bedford","county":"Lake County","state":"OH","lat":41.38994347800008,"lon":-81.53395216999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-12-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick church building at 750 Broadway, facing the Public Square in Bedford, Ohio, built in 1892 for the town's Baptist congregation and designed by Jacob Snyder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion C for its late Gothic Revival exterior and its interior built to the Akron Plan, a church layout combining sanctuary and Sunday School rooms. It is described as the only Akron Plan example in Bedford and surrounding communities. It is also tied to one of the last designs by Akron architect Jacob Snyder.","narrative":"Facing Bedford's Public Square, this red brick church at 750 Broadway was built for the town's Baptist congregation and dedicated in 1892. Architect Jacob Snyder of Akron designed it with a restrained late Gothic Revival exterior, a sandstone foundation, carved stone window cornices and a corner bell tower holding a 1,000 pound bell. Inside, the plan follows the Akron system, in which a large narthex with surrounding classrooms opens to the sanctuary through movable wall panels. The sanctuary has sloped floors, curved pews and no center aisle, and leaded glass windows throughout. Construction cost more than $20,000, and the congregation moved from its 1834 wooden church next door after a contested decision. The building is described as the only Akron Plan example in Bedford and nearby communities, and possibly one of Snyder's final designs, since he died in 1890. Later changes include a 1914 pipe organ, 1920s lower level windows and a 1978 storage shed. The Bedford Historical Society has owned it since 1969.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Jacob Snyder (architect); C.H. Wheeler of Akron (contractor)","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival exterior; Akron Plan interior","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Owned by the Bedford Historical Society since 1969; the lower level social hall, kitchen and rest rooms were modernized for public use, and the building is described as retaining largely intact integrity.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.510693-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/02001618.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001618/78291a2a7b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001618/78291a2a7b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 1.0","author":"Christopher Busta-Peck (Talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bedford_Ohio_Baptist_Church_1892.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Christopher Busta-Peck (Talk)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 1.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bedford_Ohio_Baptist_Church_1892.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000712","name":"Bedford Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/bedford-historic-district-04000712/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989557","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4879104"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lake-county/bedford-baptist-church-02001618/"}