{"nrhp_refnum":"12001186","name":"St. James Church","other_names":["Garth Chapel","VDHR File # 002-0582"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 614, E. of VA 676","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charlottesville","county":"Albemarle County","state":"VA","lat":38.10212282100008,"lon":-78.57289265699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2013-01-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story, wood-frame Gothic Revival church, locally known as Garth Chapel, built in 1896 on a one-acre wooded lot along Garth Road in western Albemarle County, Virginia, with two cemeteries on the grounds.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the best-preserved small, vernacular Carpenter Gothic church in Albemarle County, retaining high integrity of design, setting, and materials. It has never been given water or electricity and keeps its original pews and interior finishes. It is also one of the earliest rural uses of the style in the county and is smaller than other surviving examples.","narrative":"St. James Church, locally called Garth Chapel, is a small Gothic Revival chapel built in 1896 on a wooded one-acre lot beside Garth Road, about five miles from Charlottesville. The wood-frame building measures roughly twenty by thirty-five feet, with weatherboard walls, a fieldstone foundation, a standing-seam copper roof, and lancet-arched windows with louvered shutters. Inside are a small vestibule, a nave with original oak pews, wainscoting, and a raised chancel. It has never been given electricity or plumbing. The church was built for a congregation of about 25 to 30 people, mostly members of the locally prominent Garth family, with sponsorship from Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville. Two cemeteries lie on the property, and the larger one contributes to its significance. The property was recognized for its architecture. It is considered the best-preserved small, vernacular Carpenter Gothic church in Albemarle County, retaining its original setting and a high degree of integrity. Garth descendants still maintain it.","period_of_significance":"1896","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Late Gothic Revival (Carpenter Gothic)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still consecrated and used for christenings, weddings, and funerals, though there is no active congregation; it is unheated, unplumbed, and not electrified, and is maintained by descendants of the Garth family through the Trustees of St. James Church.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.111825-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/6793/41679309/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/12001186.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12001186/25a0e673ca-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12001186/25a0e673ca-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garth_Chapel,_Garth_Road_(State_Route_676),_Owensville,_Albemarle_County,_VA_HABS_VA,2-OWEN.V,1-_(sheet_3_of_5).png\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garth_Chapel,_Garth_Road_(State_Route_676),_Owensville,_Albemarle_County,_VA_HABS_VA,2-OWEN.V,1-_(sheet_3_of_5).png"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679309","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James_Church_(Charlottesville,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14713245"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/albemarle-county/st-james-church-12001186/"}