{"nrhp_refnum":"03000921","name":"First Baptist Church of Medfield","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"438 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Medfield","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.187052390000076,"lon":-71.30358996099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-09-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Exploration/Settlement","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame Baptist church at 438 Main Street in Medfield, Massachusetts, built in 1838 in the Greek Revival style by builder Jonathan Gleason and remodeled in 1874 into its present Victorian Gothic appearance.","why_significant":"The church is tied to Medfield's Baptist congregation, a presence at the town center since the late 18th century. It is the best-preserved example of the town's Victorian Gothic institutional architecture. It was listed for its associations with religion, settlement and social history, and for its architecture, including the 1874 remodeling and 1905 sanctuary renovation.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Main and South Streets in Medfield's town center, this wood-frame church was built in 1838 for the town's Baptist congregation. Local builder Jonathan Gleason constructed it in the Greek Revival style, with a pedimented gable front and a bell tower on the roof ridge. In 1874 a new Victorian Gothic façade was added, bringing a slate-roofed steeple, a corner turret and diamond-paned windows. The sanctuary was renovated in 1905, adding quartered-oak pews and an embossed tin ceiling. A Colonial Revival education wing was added in 1969-1970, and an elevator was installed in 1994. The congregation has been part of Medfield since the late 18th century, and the building held the town's first Baptist church bell and first church organ. It is considered the best-preserved example of Victorian Gothic institutional architecture in the town, and it still serves as a church and houses a daycare.","period_of_significance":"1838-1953","architect_builder":"Gleason, Jonathan E.; Dirlam, Arland A.","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Gothic; Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; part of the building is leased to a children's daycare center. The interior is described as in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.457219-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/52/7963/63796352/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/03000921.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000921/58d8a1385f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000921/58d8a1385f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MedfieldMA_FirstBaptistChurch.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</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:MedfieldMA_FirstBaptistChurch.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796352","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Baptist_Church_of_Medfield","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452473"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/first-baptist-church-of-medfield-03000921/"}