{"nrhp_refnum":"08000503","name":"Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["Epworth United Methodist Church","Epworth Methodist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5253 N. Kenmore Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.97198986700005,"lon":-87.66023389999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-06-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Richardsonian Romanesque church building at 5253 N. Kenmore Avenue in the Edgewater community of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The original sanctuary was built in 1890-91 and a large addition followed in 1930; the listing also includes the Barnes Memorial Organ as an object.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a unique example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Chicago and the oldest standing church building in Edgewater. It was designed by Frederick B. Townsend, an early parishioner, on land donated by Edgewater founder John Lewis Cochran. The 1930 addition by Thielbar and Fugard was set back from the original building and blends Romanesque Revival detailing with materials from the original wall.","narrative":"Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church, now Epworth United Methodist Church, sits on the northeast corner of Berwyn and Kenmore Avenues in Chicago's Edgewater community. The sanctuary was completed in 1891 to designs by Frederick B. Townsend, one of the congregation's earliest members, on land given by Edgewater founder John Lewis Cochran. Its walls are clad in large brown boulders shipped from Wisconsin, with Joliet limestone courses and sills, three towers of differing heights, and stained glass attributed to Healy and Millet. A large addition by the firm Thielbar and Fugard followed in 1930 during a population boom, adding a chapel, gymnasium, parlors and offices; it was recessed from the original front and uses matching boulders, dyed concrete and Romanesque Revival detailing. The nomination calls the church a unique Chicago example of Richardsonian Romanesque design and the oldest standing church building in Edgewater. The Barnes Memorial Organ is included as a significant object. The building remains in religious use.","period_of_significance":"1890-91; 1930","architect_builder":"Frederick B. Townsend; Frederick J. Thielbar & John R. Fugard","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a religious facility (Epworth United Methodist Church); materials described as having excellent integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.407812-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/8921/28892108/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/08000503.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000503/5b1a913cea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000503/5b1a913cea-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20080704_Epworth_Methodist_Episcopal_Church.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM)</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:20080704_Epworth_Methodist_Episcopal_Church.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892108","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epworth_United_Methodist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5384066"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/epworth-methodist-episcopal-church-08000503/"}