{"nrhp_refnum":"07001121","name":"Erste Deutsche Evangelische Kirche","other_names":["First United Church of Christ"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"160 Madison Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elmira","county":"Chemung County","state":"NY","lat":42.09078679600003,"lon":-76.79851155399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-10-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Rhenish Romanesque brick church with an attached former parsonage at 160 Madison Avenue on the east side of downtown Elmira, Chemung County, New York. It was built in 1898-1899 for a German Evangelical congregation; the architect is not known.","why_significant":"The church is argued to be significant under Criterion C as a distinctive and largely intact example of Rhenish Romanesque church architecture in Elmira. It is also significant under Criterion A for its link to Elmira's large German immigrant community on the city's east side. Its design and interior layout reflect the congregation's German heritage and Reformed/Calvinist worship.","narrative":"Located on the eastern edge of Elmira's central business district, this brick church and its attached former parsonage occupy most of a level city lot at 160 Madison Avenue. The church is built in the Rhenish Romanesque style, with a square bell tower and narthex, a round stair turret, large round-arched windows with abstract stained glass, and an auditorium-style sanctuary organized around a central pulpit and a large organ niche. The congregation began in 1867 as a mission to Elmira's Germans, organized formally in 1874, and built this church in 1898-1899 in the heart of the city's German east side. Its design reflects both German heritage and Reformed worship, which emphasized preaching. The architect has not been identified, though Otis Dockstader is suggested as a possibility. The building is considered a rare example of its style and a reminder of Elmira's once large German-American population. The former parsonage is an American Foursquare house.","period_of_significance":"1898-ca. 1950","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic Revival (form classification); described in the text as Rhenish Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a church; the former parsonage currently provides classroom and office space.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.176005-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/07001121.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07001121/8127723667-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07001121/8127723667-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Lvklock","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erste_Deutsche_Evangelische_Kirche.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Lvklock</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Erste_Deutsche_Evangelische_Kirche.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316812","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erste_Deutsche_Evangelische_Kirche","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5395869"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/chemung-county/erste-deutsche-evangelische-kirche-07001121/"}