{"nrhp_refnum":"03000491","name":"First Universalish Church of Sharpsville","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"131 N. Mercer Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sharpsville","county":"Mercer County","state":"PA","lat":41.26645713500005,"lon":-80.47551213199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and sandstone church at 131 N. Mercer Avenue in the Borough of Sharpsville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, with its cornerstone laid October 10, 1882 and dedicated February 10, 1884. It is a High Victorian Gothic building with an Akron plan layout and auditorium-style sanctuary.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a locally important example of late Victorian church architecture, with high-style decoration, polychrome brick and stone, and early use of opalescent glass. It is also tied to General James Pierce and his family, who founded the congregation, and to the Akron plan of Sunday school design.","narrative":"Built of red pressed brick with Amherst bluestone trim, the church at 131 N. Mercer Avenue in Sharpsville has its cornerstone laid October 10, 1882, and was dedicated February 10, 1884. Its polychrome exterior, carved stone coping, dogtooth gable ornament and gothic arches of alternating brick and stone make it a showpiece of High Victorian Gothic design. Inside, an auditorium-style sanctuary is joined to Akron plan Sunday school rooms by folding doors, a layout tied to the national spread of that arrangement after 1870. The congregation was organized in 1875 through the support of General James Pierce and his family, whose donations funded the lot and most of the construction. The building is also notable for its early opalescent glass, painted lancet windows, and a Pomplitz organ, believed to be the oldest surviving instrument in Mercer County. The architect was Samuel W. Foulk of Greenville. Services ceased around 1923, and the building was later used by other congregations before being sold to a historical society in 2000.","period_of_significance":"1882-1884","architect_builder":"Samuel W. Foulk (architect)","architectural_style":"High Victorian Gothic","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The church building was sold in 2000 to the Sharpsville Area Historical Society; the document describes its interior and exterior as well preserved.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.967228-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/03000491.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000491/ed657faa05-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000491/ed657faa05-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Universalist_Church_of_Sharpsville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Universalist_Church_of_Sharpsville.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998137","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Universalist_Church_of_Sharpsville","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5454044"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/mercer-county/first-universalish-church-of-sharpsville-03000491/"}