{"nrhp_refnum":"05001382","name":"First Congregational Church of Middletown","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"35 E. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Middletown","county":"Orange County","state":"NY","lat":41.44577637800006,"lon":-74.41894531699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-12-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Gothic Revival church at 35 East Main Street in the City of Middletown, Orange County, New York, built in 1872 and dedicated in 1873 to designs by architect Isaac G. Perry, with contractor Peter H. Terhune.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a noteworthy regional example of post-Civil War Gothic Revival church architecture. Its plan reflects the shift toward \"auditorium\" sanctuaries favored by non-ritual Protestant congregations. It is the third building of the city's oldest congregation, founded in 1785, and a prominent local landmark with a 185-foot steeple that retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"Rising on a triangular lot at 35 East Main Street in Middletown, this orange-brown brick church was built in 1872 and dedicated the following year. Binghamton architect Isaac G. Perry designed it, and Peter H. Terhune built it. It is the third house of worship on the site for the city's oldest congregation, organized in 1785, which gave the settlement its name. The exterior shows Gothic Revival design with some Romanesque Revival touches, with limestone trim set against brick in a polychrome scheme. An offset bell tower and spire reach 185 feet. Inside, the sanctuary follows a modest auditorium plan, with a sloping floor and semicircular pew arrangement facing a raised dais beneath tripartite Gothic arches, and a later pressed-metal ceiling. The church is valued as a regional example of post-Civil War Protestant church design and remains largely intact, apart from an expanded fellowship hall and later stained glass. It is still used for worship.","period_of_significance":"1872-c. 1925","architect_builder":"Perry, Isaac; architect; Terhune, P.H.; builder","architectural_style":"Late Victorian; Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a religious facility; the fellowship hall was expanded in the 1920s and the church retains a high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.905952-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05001382.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001382/64f071feb2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001382/64f071feb2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregationalist_Church_of_Middletown.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Case</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregationalist_Church_of_Middletown.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320647","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congregational_Church_of_Middletown","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452853"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/orange-county/first-congregational-church-of-middletown-05001382/"}