{"nrhp_refnum":"79002828","name":"Maria Stein Catholic Church and Rectory","other_names":["Saint John Catholic Church and Rectory"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"St. John's Rd. and OH 119","address_restricted":false,"city":"Maria Stein","county":"Mercer County","state":"OH","lat":40.40805988500006,"lon":-84.47285308699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-07-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic-style brick Catholic church built in 1889 and a brick rectory built in 1906 in Maria Stein, Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio. Both were designed by architect DeCurtins.","why_significant":"The church and rectory are part of a thematic group of Land/Cross-Tipped Churches. The parish dates to 1833 and grew from German immigrant settlers and the Fathers of the Precious Blood, whose mission gave the town its name. The buildings have notable architectural detail, and the parish is noted as the home of the first Mercer County-born priest, later a bishop.","narrative":"Maria Stein's parish complex in Mercer County, Ohio, centers on a brick Gothic church completed in 1889 and a brick rectory added in 1906, both designed by DeCurtins. The church has three doorways in its facade, elaborate sandstone trim, and a central tower with four spaces once meant for clocks. Inside, the altars are original, and the reredos show Romanesque round arches and gold leaf. Deep blue stained glass lights the sacristy. The two-story rectory has a slate hipped-gablet roof with decorative shingle bands, dormers on four sides, dentil trim at the cornice, and a one-story veranda with a fan-detailed entrance gable. The parish began in 1833 with three German immigrant settlers named John. They welcomed the Fathers of the Precious Blood in 1846, whose mission and convent gave the town its name. The parish also claims the first Mercer County-born priest, Father Joseph Devenger, who later became a bishop. The church and rectory remain in use.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"DeCurtins (architect)","architectural_style":"Gothic (church); Transitional (rectory)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Church and rectory are both in good exterior condition and remain in use as a church and a priest's house.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.481471-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79002828.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002828/90e1ad6ef5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002828/90e1ad6ef5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._John%27s_at_Maria_Stein_rear_and_western_side.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._John%27s_at_Maria_Stein_rear_and_western_side.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985881","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John_the_Baptist_Catholic_Church_(Maria_Stein,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588951"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/mercer-county/maria-stein-catholic-church-and-rectory-79002828/"}