{"nrhp_refnum":"77000291","name":"Episcopal Church of Our Saviour","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2979 Coloma St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Placerville","county":"El Dorado County","state":"CA","lat":38.729894811000065,"lon":-120.80321952099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-11-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story wood-frame Gothic Revival church at 2979 Coloma Street in Placerville, El Dorado County, California, built in 1865 to a design by San Francisco architect William Patton and built by O. Taylor of Placerville.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as the only church in El Dorado County in continuous use as a house of worship since its construction. It is also an example of Mother Lode Gothic Revival design, with a vaulted timber roof likened to an inverted clipper ship hull. Its history is tied to Fr. Charles Caleb Peirce, rector for 43 years.","narrative":"Perched on a hillside above downtown Placerville, this two-story frame church was completed in 1865 at a cost of $10,500. San Francisco architect William Patton designed it and Placerville contractor O. Taylor built it. The cross-shaped building has a belltower holding a bell cast in Boston in 1850 and shipped around Cape Horn. Inside, its most distinctive feature is a high vaulted ceiling of dark timber beams and scissor trusses, which resembles an inverted clipper ship hull. Patton used local timber to achieve a Gothic effect in the manner of Mother Lode churches. The church is described as the only one in El Dorado County in continuous use as a house of worship since construction. Its first rector, Fr. Charles Caleb Peirce, served from 1861 to 1903 and travelled the foothills on foot to minister to scattered parishioners. The building also served as a community gathering place. Later changes include asbestos shingles, a lowered belltower and added interior finishes, and restoration plans aim to return it to its original form.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Architect: Wm. Patton of San Francisco; Builder: O. Taylor of Placerville","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in continuous use as a church since 1865; described as in fair condition and in need of complete restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.881602-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/77000291.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000291/3291ee1243-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77000291/3291ee1243-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0724-Placerville-ChurchofourSavior.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</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:2009-0724-Placerville-ChurchofourSavior.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858609","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Saviour_(Placerville,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5117003"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/el-dorado-county/episcopal-church-of-our-saviour-77000291/"}