{"nrhp_refnum":"73001485","name":"Old South Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"9802 Chillicothe Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kirtland","county":"Lake County","state":"OH","lat":41.604438575000074,"lon":-81.35024148299993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Old South Church is a white frame Congregational church building at 9802 Chillicothe Road in Kirtland, Lake County, Ohio. Ground was broken for it in 1859, and the builder was Col. J.F. Morse.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a good example of its type in Lake County, combining Carpenter Gothic and Romanesque styles common to churches of its era. It also represents one of the oldest congregations in the Western Reserve, first served by Reverend Joseph Badger, the Reserve's first itinerant preacher.","narrative":"Old South Church is a white frame church at 9802 Chillicothe Road in Kirtland, Ohio. Its rectangular, gable-roofed form is anchored by a three-story east tower topped with an octagonal spire, round-arched entrance doors, buttresses and Venetian Gothic windows with tracery. Inside, the sanctuary has a choir gallery above the entry, supported by columns, and detailed woodwork around the chancel. Ground was broken in 1859 under builder Col. J.F. Morse, and a bell was added to the tower in 1865; it remains, though cracked. The building follows a congregation organized in 1819 as the first church in Kirtland. Earlier worship took place in a log cabin and then a large frame building damaged by a storm in 1842. That congregation is among the oldest in the Western Reserve and was first served by Reverend Joseph Badger, the Reserve's first itinerant preacher. The church blends Carpenter Gothic and Romanesque styles and is considered a good example of its type in Lake County.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1859)","architect_builder":"Col. J.F. Morse (builder)","architectural_style":"Combination of Carpenter Gothic and Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as excellent condition, unaltered, on its original site, occupied and in religious use; a basement was added in the 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.171543-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001485.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001485/78747fa3ab-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001485/78747fa3ab-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_South_Church_in_Kirtland.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_South_Church_in_Kirtland.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989597","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_South_Church_(Kirtland,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085002"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lake-county/old-south-church-73001485/"}