{"nrhp_refnum":"74001512","name":"St. Francis De Sales Church Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Woodburn Ave. and Madison Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.130084545000045,"lon":-84.47648733999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-03-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-building church complex at Woodburn Avenue and Madison Road in Cincinnati, Ohio, made up of a Gothic-revival church, a rectory and sacristy, and a school, built beginning in 1877 on about 1.75 acres.","why_significant":"The nomination cites the district for its architecture and its place in religion. St. Francis de Sales was among the earliest Catholic parishes in Cincinnati and the first church in East Walnut Hills (Woodburn). The large church, designed by architect Francis G. Himpler, is a visual landmark. Its tower holds what is described as the largest free-swinging bell in the world.","narrative":"St. Francis de Sales Church Historic District in Cincinnati's Woodburn neighborhood is a complex of three buildings: a large Gothic-revival church, a rectory and sacristy, and a school. The school was built first, from May to December 1877, and the church followed, with its cornerstone laid in 1878 and dedication in December 1879. Francis G. Himpler of New York designed the church, which is built of rock-faced gray hill stone with Ohio free stone trim. Its west tower reaches 230 feet and was completed in 1896. The tower holds a 17½-ton bell described as the largest free-swinging bell in the world. Inside are quadripartite vaulting, stained glass windows and a Vermont marble main altar. The parish was one of the earliest Catholic congregations in Cincinnati and the first church in the area, founded by German families. The church remains an active parish with a working school, and serves as a landmark for the neighborhood and the city.","period_of_significance":"1877-1879","architect_builder":"Francis G. Himpler of New York (church architect)","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and unaltered, on its original site. St. Francis de Sales is an active parish and the school is still functioning.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.427608-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/74001512.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001512/42fb5b955f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001512/42fb5b955f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Photo by Greg Hume (Greg5030)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StFrancisDeSales.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo by Greg Hume (Greg5030)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StFrancisDeSales.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"83001983","name":"Madison and Woodburn Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/madison-and-woodburn-historic-district-83001983/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989077","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7587950"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/st-francis-de-sales-church-historic-district-74001512/"}