{"nrhp_refnum":"79003954","name":"First Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"728 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Vermilion","county":"Erie County","state":"OH","lat":41.42043148000005,"lon":-82.36554805399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story wood-frame Baptist church built in 1888 on the west side of Main Street, directly north of the town hall, facing Victory Park in Vermilion, Erie County, Ohio.","why_significant":"The inventory describes it as one of Vermilion's older congregations and one of the city's few remaining downtown churches. It is called an excellent example of a Stick style/Italianate/Gothic frame church, and its steeple has elaborate wood ornament.","narrative":"Built in 1888 on the west side of Main Street in Vermilion, Ohio, this one-story wood-frame church faces the public square known as Victory Park. It has a gabled roof with asphalt shingles, clapboard siding, a stone and block foundation and a rectangular plan. A survey describes it as an excellent example of a Stick style, Italianate and Gothic frame church, with Victorian Gothic given as its style. Its steeple carries elaborate wood ornament, and its stubby shape suggests a taller steeple once stood above it. Over the years the building has been altered and added to, including a large rounded addition at the front and a lengthened rear that holds classrooms. The Baptist congregation is among Vermilion's older ones, and this is one of the few downtown churches that remain in the city. The site has a spacious lawn and shade trees, with a rail line to the north. The congregation has considered building in the country, which the survey notes could leave this building abandoned.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Victorian Gothic (described as Stick style/Italianate/Gothic frame church)","criteria":[],"status_note":"In use as a church; condition rated fair inside and out. The inventory notes the congregation plans to build a church in the country, putting this building in danger of abandonment.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.878063-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79003954.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003954/d67774f0e9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003954/d67774f0e9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LeeG7144","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Baptist_Church_Vermilion_Ohio.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LeeG7144</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:First_Baptist_Church_Vermilion_Ohio.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71984840","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Baptist_Church_(Vermilion,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452440"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/erie-county/first-baptist-church-79003954/"}