{"nrhp_refnum":"76002115","name":"St. Thomas Church","other_names":["St. Thomas' Episcopal Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"119 Caroline St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orange","county":"Orange County","state":"VA","lat":38.24383968400008,"lon":-78.11319563899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-12-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. Thomas' Episcopal Church is a one-story brick church at 119 Caroline Street in Orange, Virginia. The main part was built in 1833-1834 and has been enlarged several times, most recently in 1975.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is architecturally important because its original section closely follows Thomas Jefferson's design for Christ Church in Charlottesville, which has been demolished. It is presumed to be the only surviving building reflecting Jefferson's ideas on church architecture. It also served as a Civil War hospital, and General Robert E. Lee worshipped there in the winter of 1863-64.","narrative":"St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Orange, Virginia, is a rectangular brick church begun in 1833 and completed in 1834 for a parish formed in 1740. It replaced an earlier parish church that was demolished. The original section follows the design of Christ Church in Charlottesville, built in 1824 from plans by Thomas Jefferson and since demolished. The builder was probably William B. Phillips, a master builder who had worked with Jefferson on brickwork at the University of Virginia. The church has a recessed portico with Doric columns, a pediment with a louvered fan window, and a wooden tower with an octagonal cupola. It was enlarged in 1853, and later additions followed in 1912, 1928 and 1975, including a parish hall and a rector's study connected by a cloister. During the Civil War it served as a hospital, and General Robert E. Lee worshipped there in the winter of 1863-64. It is considered probably the only surviving building reflecting Jefferson's ideas on church architecture.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Based on T. Jefferson's plans for Christ Church, Charlottesville; possibly built by William B. Phillips","architectural_style":"Jeffersonian Classicism with Gothic Revival and eclectic elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a church; altered over time, with additions in 1853, 1912, 1928 and 1975.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.186336-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/6823/41682378/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/76002115.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002115/414fe73e51-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002115/414fe73e51-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ser Amantio di Nicolao","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Thomas_Church,_Orange,_VA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ser Amantio di Nicolao</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Thomas_Church,_Orange,_VA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"98001651","name":"Orange Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/orange-commercial-historic-district-98001651/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Church_(Orange,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16900600"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/orange-county/st-thomas-church-76002115/"}