{"nrhp_refnum":"73001589","name":"Bellman's Union Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SW of Centerport off Rte. 726","address_restricted":false,"city":"Centerport","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.45870266400004,"lon":-76.03077373099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-12-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Bellman's Union Church is a two-and-a-half-story, gable-roof brick church in Centerport, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1814 and is described as representing the domestic Georgian style.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church represents Georgian architecture as it reached rural areas, and that it embellishes many fine architectural points such as an elaborate cornice, Palladian windows, arched windows, detailed doorways and a gallery. It is described as a good example of an elegant country church, more stylistically detailed than typical early nineteenth-century rural brick churches, and as one of the few remaining churches of such elegance in the state.","narrative":"Built in 1814 in Centerport, Berks County, Bellman's Union Church is a two-and-a-half-story gable-roof brick building that is five bays across and three bays deep. Its walls are laid in Flemish bond with engaged brick pilasters, a raised belt course and a water table. Round-headed windows with stone keystones are used throughout, and the two open gable ends each carry a Palladian window above a side doorway, with a circular window above. Doorways have double panel doors, fanlights and wooden keystones, while the box cornice has moulding, dentil work and modillions, with shingled returns on the gable ends. The interior has a wine-glass pulpit, a vaulted ceiling and a gallery. The church is regarded as an unusually elegant example of rural Georgian architecture for its period, and it is one of the few churches of this refinement remaining in the state.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Georgian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The interior is described as remaining in very good condition despite repeated use, and the church is used on occasion for services.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.28006-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/73001589.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001589/71fbf020cf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001589/71fbf020cf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Jack","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belleman%27s_Union_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jack</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belleman%27s_Union_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994927","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belleman%27s_Union_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4883788"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/bellmans-union-church-73001589/"}