{"nrhp_refnum":"80002946","name":"Symmes Mission Chapel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5139 Pleasant Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fairfield","county":"Butler County","state":"OH","lat":39.33901029900005,"lon":-84.56099195599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-06-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small two-story frame chapel at 5139 Pleasant Avenue in Fairfield, Butler County, Ohio, built circa 1843. The builder is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the chapel is a distinctive example of nineteenth century vernacular architecture in southwestern Ohio. It is one of the earliest physical signs of religious activity in Fairfield Township. Its plain design, small size and integrity set it apart from traditional church architecture. It is also one of the few antebellum buildings left in the growing community.","narrative":"Built around 1843 at 5139 Pleasant Avenue in Fairfield, Ohio, Symmes Mission Chapel is a small, rectangular, two-story frame building of mortise and tenon construction. Its plain clapboard walls, cornice returns, smooth wooden frieze and symmetrical windows show subtle Greek Revival influence. Paneled shutters cover the windows, and the narrow front entrance has louvered doors. A fabric analysis found that two small second-floor windows on the front were replaced by a single center bay, probably before 1900. Other changes are limited to new interior partitions and a stairway. The chapel was supported mainly by Benjamin Symmes, a local settler and land developer, and served religious and educational purposes from 1843 to 1968. It was listed as an unusual piece of vernacular church architecture in southwestern Ohio and as one of the earliest signs of religious life in Fairfield Township. It is also among the few antebellum buildings left in a city of about 35,000. The local historical society has since acquired it.","period_of_significance":"c. 1843","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular, with subtle Greek Revival influences","criteria":[],"status_note":"Recently acquired by the Historical Society of Fairfield Area; used for religious and educational activities from 1843 to 1968. The form marks the status as unoccupied.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.872723-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80002946.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002946/7f70301c00-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002946/7f70301c00-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Symmes_Mission_Chapel_site.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Symmes_Mission_Chapel_site.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986983","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmes_Mission_Chapel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14716819"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/butler-county/symmes-mission-chapel-80002946/"}