{"nrhp_refnum":"11000969","name":"West End Presbyterian Church and Parish House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"165 W. 105th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.80182533800007,"lon":-73.96533485599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-12-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Presbyterian church (sanctuary) and adjoining five-story parish house at 165 West 105th Street, on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue in the Manhattan Valley neighborhood of New York City. The church was built in 1891 to designs by Henry F. Kilburn, and the parish house was completed in 1913 by Frank Freeman.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex is significant under Criterion C in Architecture as outstanding examples of late nineteenth and early twentieth century styles, namely a Romanesque Revival church and a Renaissance Revival parish house. It is also significant in Communications for its pioneering radio ministry in the 1920s and early 1930s, led by Rev. Keigwin, whose live broadcasts of complete church services reached a wide audience.","narrative":"At the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 105th Street in Manhattan Valley, a Presbyterian church and its parish house form a two-building complex. Architect Henry F. Kilburn designed the church in the Romanesque Revival style, completed in 1891, using yellow speckled brick, terra-cotta ornament and a seven-story bell tower. Inside, the sanctuary follows an amphitheater plan with a balcony and theater-style seating. Frank Freeman designed the five-story Renaissance Revival parish house in 1913, replacing an earlier chapel by Carrere and Hastings. It includes an Akron Plan Sunday school rotunda, a fellowship hall and an indoor gym with basketball court. The complex was listed for its architecture and for its role in communications. Under Rev. Keigwin, the congregation broadcast live, complete church services on radio during the 1920s and early 1930s, building an audience well beyond the neighborhood. The buildings remain in use, though terra-cotta and interior finishes show wear.","period_of_significance":"1891-1931","architect_builder":"Henry F. Kilburn; Frank Freeman","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Romanesque Revival; Late Victorian: Renaissance Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in religious use. Described as generally good condition, with deterioration of terra-cotta, the parish house cornice, and peeling interior finishes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.379549-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/11000969.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000969/24ce067cad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000969/24ce067cad-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jim.henderson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_End_Presbyterian_jeh.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim.henderson</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_End_Presbyterian_jeh.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320065","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137261261"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/west-end-presbyterian-church-and-parish-house-11000969/"}