{"nrhp_refnum":"04001057","name":"United Methodist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"21 E. Williams St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waterloo","county":"Seneca County","state":"NY","lat":42.90785135500005,"lon":-76.86080409799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-09-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and stone Methodist church at 21 East Williams Street in the village of Waterloo, Seneca County, New York, built in 1895 to designs by architect M.L. VanKirk.","why_significant":"The church is argued to be significant under Criterion C as an intact, representative example of late nineteenth century religious architecture in Waterloo. It is a vernacular interpretation of Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival styles, with an asymmetrical plan, a prominent corner bell tower, and fine stained-glass windows. It also reflects the village's late 19th century prosperity as a canal-side center of commerce and industry.","narrative":"Built in 1895 on East Williams Street in Waterloo, this brick church with stone trim combines Romanesque and Gothic Revival features in a vernacular design. An 85-foot square tower at the southeast corner dominates its asymmetrical form, with a steeple, pinnacles, pressed metal panels reflecting Queen Anne influence, and an open belfry holding a bell dating to 1850. Round-arched door and window openings, stone-capped brick buttresses and finely crafted stained-glass windows add to its character. It was designed by architect M.L. VanKirk and built by Edson Brothers Contractors. It was the second permanent house of worship for the town's Methodists, whose first brick church of 1835 burned in 1843 and was rebuilt. A bequest in 1879 helped fund the move to a quieter site one block from the business district. The exterior remains largely intact, while a 1959 Sunday school addition stands at the rear. The church is a local landmark recalling Waterloo's canal-era prominence.","period_of_significance":"1895","architect_builder":"M.L. VanKirk (architect); Edson Brothers Contractors (builder)","architectural_style":"Late 19th Century: Romanesque Revival (vernacular Romanesque/Gothic Revival)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; a non-contributing Sunday school addition from 1959 is attached at the rear, and the interior was altered in the mid-20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.102998-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/04001057.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321844","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Methodist_Church_(Waterloo,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7888250"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/seneca-county/united-methodist-church-04001057/"}