{"nrhp_refnum":"03001353","name":"Sand Lake Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2960 NY 43","address_restricted":false,"city":"Averill Park","county":"Rensselaer County","state":"NY","lat":42.63527389400008,"lon":-73.54929408599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-01-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-style two-story wood frame church built in 1805 on NY Route 43 in the hamlet of Averill Park, town of Sand Lake, Rensselaer County, New York, with a parsonage (1846) and a garage (1939) on an eight-acre lot.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a classic example of Federal period architecture in Rensselaer County, closely following a design from Asher Benjamin's 1797 builder's guide. It is also the oldest standing institutional building in the town and was its primary place of worship in the early period. Possible Underground Railroad links are noted, but only as a subject for further research.","narrative":"Built in 1805 on the north side of NY Route 43 in Averill Park, this Federal-style frame church began as the Union Meeting House, shared by Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists on land provided by Stephen Van Rensselaer III. Its builder is unknown, but the design closely follows Plate 27 of Asher Benjamin's 1797 The Country Builder's Assistant. Features include a pedimented gable front, a Palladian window, molded door and window surrounds, and a deep cornice with mutule blocks and triglyphs. A Greek Revival tower and bell were added in 1840. Later changes include 1911 stained-glass windows, a 1957 educational wing and aluminum siding applied in 1961. The property also holds an 1846 parsonage and a 1939 garage. It is described as the oldest standing institutional building in the town of Sand Lake. Local tradition links the church to the Underground Railroad, but the nomination treats that as a topic for further research.","period_of_significance":"1805 - 1939","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Early Republic: Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in religious use; the congregation hopes to restore the church, including removing the aluminum siding added in 1961.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.611189-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/03001353.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001353/88d339921d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001353/88d339921d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Upstate New York","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sand_Lake_Baptist_Church_May_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Upstate New York</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sand_Lake_Baptist_Church_May_10.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321287","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Lake_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7415826"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/rensselaer-county/sand-lake-baptist-church-03001353/"}