{"nrhp_refnum":"78002125","name":"First Church of Christ, Scientist","other_names":["Universal Community Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2704 Monroe St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Toledo","county":"Lucas County","state":"OH","lat":41.66181117700006,"lon":-83.56538250399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Romanesque stone church at 2705 Monroe Street at Lawrence Avenue in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, built in 1898-99 and designed by Toledo architect E.O. Fallis. It is now used by the Universal Community Church.","why_significant":"Local church and historic records indicate it was the first building erected solely to house a Christian Science church in Ohio and Toledo, and the third such branch church in the world. It is also significant for its massive Romanesque stone architecture by prominent Toledo architect E.O. Fallis.","narrative":"Built in 1898-99 at the corner of Monroe Street and Lawrence Avenue in Toledo, this stone church was designed by Toledo architect E.O. Fallis and cost $33,937. Its plan forms an unusual Y, with three steeply pitched gables meeting at a central point and a square three-story tower at the eastern facade. The exterior is Ohio Amherst Blue sandstone in a rock-faced, random ashlar pattern, with large amber stained glass windows. Inside, a rotunda is covered by a domed ceiling with a skylit stained glass opening, and original wooden seats with cast iron supports remain in the auditorium, which seats 500. The congregation organized in 1890 under Sarah J. Clarke, a student of Mary Baker Eddy, who donated the land. Local records indicate this was the first building in Ohio erected solely for a Christian Science church and the third such branch church in the world. A 1947 addition designed by Fred M. Morris is the only major change. The Christian Scientists moved to a suburban site in 1965, and the building was sold to the Universal Community Church.","period_of_significance":"1898-99","architect_builder":"E.O. Fallis, Toledo, Ohio","architectural_style":"Romanesque, with Queen Anne-like roof lines","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in religious use by the Universal Community Church; condition marked fair. Apart from a 1947 addition, it appears unaltered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.491547-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002125.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002125/0a3238dd16-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002125/0a3238dd16-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_Missionary_Baptist_Church_of_Toledo.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_Missionary_Baptist_Church_of_Toledo.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"73001503","name":"Old West End District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/old-west-end-district-73001503/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990013","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(Toledo,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452715"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lucas-county/first-church-of-christ-scientist-78002125/"}