{"nrhp_refnum":"06001301","name":"First Unitarian Universalist Church of Niagara","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"639 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Niagara Falls","county":"Niagara County","state":"NY","lat":43.09548538400003,"lon":-79.05642208999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-01-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Neo-Classical church building at 639 Main Street in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, designed by Kirkpatrick and Cannon and built in 1921 with rough stone cladding quarried on site.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is architecturally significant under Criterion C as a representative example of twentieth-century Neo-Classical church architecture in Niagara Falls. Its walls are faced with bedrock excavated during foundation work, laid in a distinctive herringbone-like pattern echoing the Schoellkopf power plant stonework. It retains a high degree of exterior and interior integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1921 at 639 Main Street in Niagara Falls, this Neo-Classical church was designed by the architectural firm Kirkpatrick and Cannon for a Unitarian congregation organized in 1920. A four-column Doric portico fronts the west facade, and the walls are clad in rough, undressed stone laid in a random pattern with deeply raked mortar. The stone came from bedrock excavated for the basement, after the church board never took up an offer of canal-excavation stone. The effect resembles the stonework of the Schoellkopf hydraulic power plant. Inside, a two-story sanctuary sits above a social hall, and the original stage with proscenium arch was enclosed in 1955 as membership grew. The flat-roofed, non-churchly design reflected the congregation's early wish for a building that could be resold if the movement failed. The property is recognized for its architecture and its high degree of surviving integrity, inside and out.","period_of_significance":"1921-1922","architect_builder":"Kirkkpatrick and Cannon Architects of Niagara Falls, N.Y.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals/Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in religious use as a church; a lift was installed in 2002 and the original stage was enclosed in 1955.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.779791-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/06001301.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06001301/23274f336c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06001301/23274f336c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Unitarian_Universalist_Church_of_Niagara_Jun_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Unitarian_Universalist_Church_of_Niagara_Jun_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320100","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Unitarian_Universalist_Church_of_Niagara","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453962"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/niagara-county/first-unitarian-universalist-church-of-niagara-06001301/"}