{"nrhp_refnum":"73000256","name":"Yosemite Valley Chapel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off CA 140","address_restricted":false,"city":"Yosemite National Park","county":"Mariposa County","state":"CA","lat":37.740843615000074,"lon":-119.59164401399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-12-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A board-and-batten, steep-roofed chapel in Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California, erected in 1879 and designed by San Francisco architect Charles Geddes.","why_significant":"It is described as the oldest building in Yosemite and has been used continuously as a chapel since its dedication. Its simple design is presented as a particularly fine, well-preserved example of the early chapels built in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.","narrative":"Yosemite Valley Chapel is a small board-and-batten church with a steep roof and steeple, built in 1879 in what is now Yosemite National Park. The California State Sunday School Association sponsored it, raising the three to four thousand dollar cost through voluntary donations from children and prominent members. San Francisco architect Charles Geddes provided the plans, and E. Thompson of San Francisco built it that summer. The chapel seats 250 and was intended for free use by people of every faith. It began at the start of the Four Mile Trail and was moved to its present site in 1901, apparently onto a stone foundation that was raised about three feet around 1965. Rear rooms were later added, giving it an L-shaped plan. Considered the oldest building in Yosemite, it has served continuously as a chapel and still holds Sunday services. Its plain design is regarded as a fine, well-preserved example of early Sierra Nevada chapels.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"Charles Geddes (architect, San Francisco); E. Thompson of San Francisco (builder)","architectural_style":"Board and batten, steep-roofed early Sierra Nevada chapel","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent; altered and moved; still used for Sunday church services.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.725345-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/73000256.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000256/e53ad8c600-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000256/e53ad8c600-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Almonroth","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yosemite_Valley_Chapel-4.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Almonroth</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:Yosemite_Valley_Chapel-4.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04001159","name":"Yosemite Valley","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/yosemite-valley-04001159/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859783","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley_Chapel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8055943"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/mariposa-county/yosemite-valley-chapel-73000256/"}