{"nrhp_refnum":"79003460","name":"St. Louis Catholic Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"La Grange Rd. and Floto St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"La Grange","county":"Stanislaus County","state":"CA","lat":37.66271513400005,"lon":-120.46178632699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-08-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wood-frame church at La Grange Road and Floto Road in La Grange, Stanislaus County, California, built in 1854 by the people of La Grange. It sits within a 19th century cemetery.","why_significant":"The nomination states it is the oldest church in Stanislaus County and probably one of the oldest in California outside the Missions. It is also significant architecturally as a vernacular Greek Revival structure, evidence of a style once common in Gold Rush California towns.","narrative":"Built in 1854 by the people of La Grange, St. Louis Catholic Church is a modest wood-frame building in Stanislaus County, California. It is described as the oldest church in the county and probably one of the oldest in the state outside the Missions. The design is a simple vernacular version of Greek Revival, with a central pedimented entrance, corner pilasters, a boxed gable roof, and symmetrically placed six-over-six double-hung windows with simple pediments. A small rear addition repeats the classic form and cornice details, and a concrete foundation has replaced the original stone one. The church keeps its original setting, a 19th century cemetery of individual family plots enclosed by elaborate Gothic style cast iron fences, with headstones dating to the mid-nineteenth century. It still holds occasional services. Its importance lies in its age and in its example of a building style that once dotted the towns and hillsides of Gold Rush California.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Builder: People of La Grange","architectural_style":"Vernacular Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition rated fair; used for occasional church services. The original stone foundation has been replaced by concrete.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.477874-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/79003460.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003460/b489e7a75d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003460/b489e7a75d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mirokuofnite","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Louis_Catholic_Church.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Mirokuofnite</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Louis_Catholic_Church.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857842","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Catholic_Church_(La_Grange,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7589588"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/stanislaus-county/st-louis-catholic-church-79003460/"}