{"nrhp_refnum":"79001873","name":"South Leroy Meetinghouse","other_names":["LeRoy Methodist Episcopal Church","Brakeman Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE of Painesville at OH 86 and Brakeman Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Painesville","county":"Lake County","state":"OH","lat":41.66405841000005,"lon":-81.14672101199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wooden frame Greek Revival church, 36 by 46 feet, at Route 86 and Brakeman Road in Leroy Township near Painesville, Lake County, Ohio, built in 1845 by local builders for the Methodist Episcopal Church.","why_significant":"It is a typical small rural church of the Greek Revival period. It served as a community meeting house from at least 1898 and is recognized locally as the only significant historic public building in the township.","narrative":"This small wooden church stands at the corner of Route 86 and Brakeman Road in Leroy Township, Lake County. Built in 1845 for the Methodist Episcopal Church at a cost of $1,000, it measures 36 by 46 feet and has mortised and pegged timbers, clapboard siding, a gable roof and no steeple. Plain Greek Revival details include a simple cornice and frieze, small cornice returns and a center doorway framed by pilasters and an entablature. Henry Brakeman provided the lot, and local builders constructed the church. Beyond services, weddings and funerals, the building hosted district school graduations from 1898 to 1941, along with class plays, Christmas programs, social events and musical recitals, since it was the only large meeting hall in the township. It is recognized locally as the township's only significant historic public building. The church gave it to the township trustees in 1975 for continued community use, and volunteers and donations paid for its 1976 repairs.","period_of_significance":"1845","architect_builder":"Local builders (unnamed); lot provided by Henry Brakeman","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Given by the Methodist Church to Leroy Township Trustees in 1975 for continued use as a community meeting house; repaired, cleaned and painted in 1976.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.505355-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79001873.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001873/ddd2da81f1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001873/ddd2da81f1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Leroy_Meetinghouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Leroy_Meetinghouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989623","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_LeRoy_Meetinghouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7567817"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lake-county/south-leroy-meetinghouse-79001873/"}