{"nrhp_refnum":"78002179","name":"Most Pure Heart Of Mary Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"West St. and Raymond Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Shelby","county":"Richland County","state":"OH","lat":40.88273720300003,"lon":-82.66722823699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large Romanesque-style basilica church at West Street and Raymond Avenue in Shelby, Richland County, Ohio, built 1924-28 to plans by W. R. Dowling for the Catholic parish.","why_significant":"The nomination finds it significant in architecture and art because it joins Romanesque architecture with extensive frescoes, paintings, windows and carved work for decorative and symbolic effect. It is described as a major architectural landmark in Shelby and a remarkable undertaking for a small town. It remains well maintained with few alterations.","narrative":"Built between 1924 and 1928, this Romanesque basilica at West Street and Raymond Avenue in Shelby, Ohio, was the third church built by the local Catholic parish. It is three bays wide and ten bays long, built of Greendale brick in Flemish bond with Bedford sandstone trim and a red Spanish tile roof. The west front features a two-story blind arch, a rose window and a carved entrance arch with symbols of the Apostles. Inside, frescoes by German artist Gerhard J. Lamers and his children cover the nave and apse, while painted copper Stations of the Cross, a coffered ceiling with 240 painted panels, an Italian marble altar and a gilded baldacchino complete the setting. German firms made the windows. Plans were drawn by W. R. Dowling, and the contract went to Simon Small and Sons of Mansfield. It was listed for its architecture and art, and for the way the two are joined. It remains well maintained and little altered.","period_of_significance":"1924-28","architect_builder":"W. R. Dowling (architect); Simon Small and Sons Company of Mansfield (construction contract)","architectural_style":"Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Stated to be well maintained with few alterations to its fabric; the form marks the property occupied and in religious use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:13.01135-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002179.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002179/867f395333-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002179/867f395333-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"User:OHWiki","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Most_Pure_Heart_Of_Mary_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:OHWiki</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Most_Pure_Heart_Of_Mary_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991122","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Pure_Heart_Of_Mary_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6916778"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/richland-county/most-pure-heart-of-mary-church-78002179/"}