{"nrhp_refnum":"76001434","name":"First Congregational-Unitarian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2901 Reading Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.131901009000046,"lon":-84.49805399399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-05-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small stone church at 2901 Reading Road in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, built in 1889 and designed by architect James C. McLaughlin for the First Congregational-Unitarian congregation.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as the congregation's oldest surviving building in the city and as an adept interpretation of the Richardsonian style. It also reflects Cincinnati's role as one of the earliest U.S. locations for a First Congregational Unitarian church, organized in 1830.","narrative":"Built in 1889 at 2901 Reading Road in Cincinnati, this small church is built of random ashlar stone on a high, coursed stone foundation. Architect James C. McLaughlin gave it a steep roof, stone-trimmed gables that rise above the ridge, and round-arched windows and doors framed by stone voussoirs. Two bisecting wings create a modular plan. A large rose window on the north end, showing the figure of Truth, is signed by Tiffany and was designed by Frederick Wilson, a Tiffany craftsman. The unaltered sanctuary holds wood carvings by local sculptors Henry Fry and Frederick F. Eckstein. The congregation dates to 1830, making Cincinnati one of the earliest places in the country with a First Congregational Unitarian church. Earlier churches stood at Fourth and Race Streets and at Plum and Eighth Streets. As population moved to the suburbs, funds were set aside in 1888 for this building, which is the congregation's oldest surviving church in the city.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"James C. Mc Laughlin","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in excellent condition, still used as a church; the building is marked altered, though the interior sanctuary is described as unaltered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.793599-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001434.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001434/8df4b57ca9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001434/8df4b57ca9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational-Unitarian_Church,_Cincinnati.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational-Unitarian_Church,_Cincinnati.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988963","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Unitarian_Church_(Cincinnati,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2493247"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/first-congregational-unitarian-church-76001434/"}