{"nrhp_refnum":"04000330","name":"Church of St. Joseph","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1109 K St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Banos","county":"Merced County","state":"CA","lat":37.05933821000008,"lon":-120.85093305599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-07-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Former Catholic church building at 1109 K Street in Los Banos, Merced County, California, built in 1923 to a design by architect Charles Fantoni and now used as an arts facility.","why_significant":"The nomination argues local significance under Criterion C for architecture, as the only example of Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture in Los Banos and within roughly a 35-mile radius. It is also one of only two surviving churches designed by Charles Fantoni, which adds to its importance.","narrative":"Built in 1923, this reinforced concrete church at 1109 K Street in Los Banos was designed by San Francisco designer Charles Fantoni and built by contractor Guy H. Wilson. It measures about 100 by 45 feet and follows a three-nave basilica plan with a barrel-vaulted apse, Romanesque arched colonnades and arched windows. A bell tower rising about 150 feet is visible from several blocks away. Plaster was added to the exterior in the mid-1940s. The congregation sold the building in 1994, and the Los Banos Arts Council later restored the interior and added a kitchen and accessible restrooms in a matching style. The original stained glass windows were removed, and the rose window opening is boarded over. Two later buildings on the property, a rectory and a garage, are noncontributing. The church was listed for its architecture, as the only Romanesque church in the area and one of two surviving churches by Fantoni.","period_of_significance":"1923","architect_builder":"Charles Fantoni (1870-1933), Architect; Guy H. Wilson, Contractor","architectural_style":"Romanesque; Late 19th & 20th Century Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Sold by the church in 1994 and now used as the Los Banos Arts Council facility; the interior was refurbished and a kitchen and accessible restrooms were added at the rear.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.735009-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/04000330.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000330/ace3ff07da-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000330/ace3ff07da-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ian Poellet","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Joseph_Church_-_Los_Banos_California.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ian Poellet</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:St_Joseph_Church_-_Los_Banos_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859841","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Joseph_(Los_Banos,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5117266"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/merced-county/church-of-st-joseph-04000330/"}