{"nrhp_refnum":"78002343","name":"St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, Old","other_names":["St. Gabriel's 1801 Chapel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"U.S. 422","address_restricted":false,"city":"Douglassville","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.25721170300005,"lon":-75.72892679399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brownstone Episcopal church in Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania, built in 1801. It is known as Old Saint Gabriel's Church.","why_significant":"The church is noted for its herringbone-patterned stonework, a masonry style the nomination says is seldom used in stone construction. It is described as possibly the earliest building in the state done in this style. The interior was restored to its early appearance in the 1960s.","narrative":"Built in 1801 in Douglassville, Berks County, Old Saint Gabriel's is a two-story church of brownstone, laid in a herringbone pattern on its main facades. The nomination notes that this masonry technique was seldom used in stone construction because it was difficult to lay up the walls, and it is possibly the earliest building of its kind in Pennsylvania. The church is attributed to a local mason. Its exterior has large brownstone quoins, a simple cornice, and round-headed stone lintels with keystones over its windows and doors. The interior was altered several times over its first century of use, then restored from 1960 to 1962, when galleries, the arched ceiling, and a rebuilt north stairway were brought back to their early form. The wineglass pulpit, pews, and altar rail were handcrafted by William A. Griffith from old descriptions. The site is linked to Swedish settlers, an earlier log church, and a burial ground.","period_of_significance":"1801","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Restored to its early appearance in 1962 after restoration work begun in 1960.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.36187-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002343.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002343/a69522fa2d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002343/a69522fa2d-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Gabes.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</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:St_Gabes.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995254","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St._Gabriel%27s_Episcopal_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085033"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/st-gabriels-episcopal-church-old-78002343/"}