{"nrhp_refnum":"79002923","name":"St. John's Episcopal Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"700 Main Ave","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brownwood","county":"Brown County","state":"TX","lat":31.72119032100005,"lon":-98.98577250999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic Revival stone church at 700 Main Avenue in Brownwood, Brown County, Texas, built in 1892 to plans by Lovell and Hood, with a 1906 wood-frame Victorian rectory on the same property.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an outstanding local architectural landmark and a fine 19th-century example of Early English Gothic design, modest in size but built with high-quality materials and craftsmanship. It also reflects Brownwood's growth, as the parish grew from three known communicants into a full-time community church.","narrative":"St. John's Episcopal Church is a small stone church at 700 Main Avenue in Brownwood, Texas, completed in 1892 from plans donated by the architects and builders Lovell and Hood. Its design follows the Early English Gothic tradition, with load-bearing cut and pitch-faced stone walls, buttresses, lancet openings, stone gable crosses and a steep metal roof pressed to resemble shingles. A planned spire became a truncated, crenellated tower. Stained glass windows made in Belgium were installed in 1894 after the congregation first used heavy canvas over the openings. Inside are white plaster walls, dark wood trim and an exposed vaulted ceiling. A two-story Victorian rectory with two octagonal turrets was added in 1906, followed by a parish hall in 1927 and a kitchen and nursery in 1951. The church began as a mission in 1886 and grew from three known members to a central community landmark, which is why it was recognized for its architecture and local history.","period_of_significance":"1892","architect_builder":"Lovell and Hood","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival (Early English Gothic)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition with continuous use and maintenance; the property is listed as 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 02:54:18.923392-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/9714/40971405/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002923.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002923/7b6bce7df0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002923/7b6bce7df0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_johns_church_brownwood_2009.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_johns_church_brownwood_2009.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971405","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Church_(Brownwood,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588670"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/brown-county/st-johns-episcopal-church-79002923/"}