{"nrhp_refnum":"10000223","name":"Owasco Reformed Church","other_names":["Reformed Church of Owasco"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5105 Rte 38A (E. Lake Rd.)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Owasco","county":"Cayuga County","state":"NY","lat":42.856639624000024,"lon":-76.46493481599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-04-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-era frame meeting house church, with a Queen Anne style parsonage and a barn, at 5105 Route 38A (East Lake Road) in the hamlet of Owasco, Cayuga County, New York. The church was built in 1811-15, the parsonage in 1886-88 and the barn in 1888.","why_significant":"The church is argued to be a remarkably intact example of very early nineteenth century religious architecture in Cayuga County, in the New England meeting house tradition with an intact encircling gallery. As the oldest building in Owasco and one of the earliest in the county, it is also tied to the first European-descended settlers of the Finger Lakes region. The parsonage adds a restrained Queen Anne example with intact late Victorian interiors.","narrative":"Built between 1811 and 1815, this large rectangular frame church sits at a crossroads in the center of Owasco hamlet in Cayuga County, New York. It follows the New England meeting house tradition, with a gable-roofed form, a pedimented front, and an engaged central bell tower over the main entrance. Inside, a three-sided gallery with Doric columns and a paneled balustrade overlooks the sanctuary, and a barrel vaulted ceiling has been uncovered. Behind the church stand a Queen Anne style parsonage from 1886-88 and a small barn from 1888. The church was built for a Reformed Dutch congregation whose members were among the area's earliest European-descended settlers, and it is the oldest building in Owasco. It was listed for its architecture and for its link to early settlement of the Finger Lakes region. The original steeple was removed in 1958, an educational wing was added in 1964, and the building is still used for worship.","period_of_significance":"1811-1888","architect_builder":"Architect: Isaac Selover; overseer and mason: Eliphalet Hoyt","architectural_style":"Early-19th Century: Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a house of worship; a non-contributing educational wing was added in 1964 and modern siding covers the original clapboards.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.18113-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/10000223.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000223/61089fda6e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000223/61089fda6e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Owasco_Reformed_Church_Jan_11.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Owasco_Reformed_Church_Jan_11.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316723","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owasco_Reformed_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7114295"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/cayuga-county/owasco-reformed-church-10000223/"}