{"nrhp_refnum":"77001058","name":"Riverside Chapel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S. Clinton St. in Riverside Cemetery","address_restricted":false,"city":"Defiance","county":"Defiance County","state":"OH","lat":41.273442921000026,"lon":-84.37826401099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small, rectangular Gothic Revival chapel of Bedford limestone in Riverside Cemetery on S. Clinton Street, Defiance, Ohio, built in 1890 and owned by the City of Defiance.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of Gothic Revival architecture in Defiance County. It also reflects the reverence and care past generations gave to death, since it served as a temporary repository for the dead when winter ground was too hard for burial.","narrative":"Riverside Chapel is a small stone chapel in Riverside Cemetery on South Clinton Street in Defiance, Ohio. Built in 1890 under the local Defiance Cemetery Association, it was designed by architect Jonathan I. Hale of Ottawa, Ohio. The walls are Bedford limestone laid in random ashlar, trimmed with red Portage sandstone. A gabled portico with four wood columns and carved panels shelters the entrance, and Gothic-arched stained glass windows light the building. Inside are a natural pine ceiling, oak woodwork and a marble floor. The chapel served a practical purpose: the upper level was used as a chapel, while coffins were kept in the basement during winter months when digging graves was difficult. Once modern equipment overcame frozen and wet ground, the building fell into disuse and disrepair. It was recognized as an excellent local example of Gothic Revival design, and the Daughters of the American Revolution took up its restoration.","period_of_significance":"1890","architect_builder":"Architect Jonathan I. Hale of Ottawa, Ohio; stonework directed by John Demann; carpentry contracted to A.G. and W.C. McClary","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and occupied; the chapel fell into disuse after modern equipment made winter burial possible, and the local D.A.R. was working to restore it.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:08.942012-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/77001058.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001058/bf64210d16-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001058/bf64210d16-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riverside_Chapel_in_Defiance.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riverside_Chapel_in_Defiance.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988008","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116960377"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/defiance-county/riverside-chapel-77001058/"}