{"nrhp_refnum":"11000534","name":"Chapel of the Transfiguration","other_names":["Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church Outdoor Chapel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"855 W. Lake Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tahoe City","county":"Placer County","state":"CA","lat":39.153727367000045,"lon":-120.14637832099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-08-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small rustic outdoor chapel of rubble stone and peeled logs, about one mile south of Tahoe City on the northwestern shore of Lake Tahoe, Placer County, California. It was built in 1909 by Robert Montgomery Watson and his son Robert H. Watson.","why_significant":"The chapel is argued to be a locally significant example of Arts and Crafts-influenced Rustic architecture, using native stone and logs gathered on site. It was the first church at Lake Tahoe. It is also linked to the Bliss family, who donated the land and whose son Walter Bliss co-designed it.","narrative":"Set in a forest of pines and cedars beside Highway 89, about one mile south of Tahoe City, the Chapel of the Transfiguration is an open-air church built in 1909. Its walls are rough native stone laid in mortar, with massive buttresses at the corners and a steep gabled roof framed in peeled logs and covered in shakes. Congregants sit outdoors on benches facing the open chancel, which holds a stone altar. Robert Montgomery Watson and his son Robert H. Watson built it from stone and timber gathered nearby, on two acres donated by the Bliss family. It was the first church at Lake Tahoe. The design reflects Arts and Crafts ideals of simple forms, natural materials and hand craftsmanship. The chapel has changed little, apart from electric power added in 1937 and minor additions. It remains in use for summer services of Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church.","period_of_significance":"1909","architect_builder":"Watson, Robert Montgomery; Watson, Robert Howard (builders); Walter Danforth Bliss and William Faville of San Francisco (architects, named in the narrative)","architectural_style":"Rustic; Arts and Crafts","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"In continuous use since 1909 for summer services of Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church; in very good original condition with no significant alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.605697-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/11000534.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000534/70d1a0a6cf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000534/70d1a0a6cf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Dicklyon","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chapel_of_the_Transfiguration,_Tahoe_City.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dicklyon</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chapel_of_the_Transfiguration,_Tahoe_City.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860384","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_of_the_Transfiguration_(Tahoe_City,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85751484"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/placer-county/chapel-of-the-transfiguration-11000534/"}