{"nrhp_refnum":"80002983","name":"First Universalist Church of Olmsted","other_names":["Olmsted Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5050 Porter Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"North Olmsted","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.416203643000074,"lon":-81.92898887099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame Greek Revival church at 5050 Porter Road, North Olmsted, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, built in 1847 by the Universalist Society, with John Ames as carpenter-designer. It was moved a quarter mile in 1963 and given a modern education wing.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the second oldest surviving church structure in Cuyahoga County, after St. John's Episcopal in Cleveland. It served as a community center as well as a place of worship, and had women ministers as early as 1878. It is also a well-preserved Greek Revival building with Victorian features added in 1881-1882.","narrative":"This small wood-frame church on Porter Road in North Olmsted was built in 1847 by the local Universalist Society, with carpenter-designer John Ames supervising construction. It is a Greek Revival building with a low gable roof, a pediment containing a semi-elliptical fan, and a square louvered belfry. The original porch was enclosed in 1881-1882, when Gothic-style windows and Victorian stained glass were added. The church served as a gathering place for meetings and celebrations, and its bell, installed in 1851, was rung as a fire alarm, for funerals and for worship. Its liberal congregation called a woman minister as early as 1878, and a second served from 1900 to 1903. It is described as the second oldest surviving church structure in Cuyahoga County, after St. John's Episcopal in Cleveland. In 1963, road widening led to the building being moved a quarter mile north, where it received a new basement foundation and a modern education wing. The original structure retains its integrity of materials, design and workmanship.","period_of_significance":"1847; 1882; 1963","architect_builder":"John Ames","architectural_style":"Greek Revival with Victorian modifications","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent condition; altered and moved in 1963, with a modern education wing added at the rear.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:11.99575-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80002983.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002983/3b01adf120-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002983/3b01adf120-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Carl F. Waite","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Universalist_Church_of_Olmsted.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Carl F. Waite</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Universalist_Church_of_Olmsted.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987763","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Universalist_Church_of_Olmsted","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5454041"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/first-universalist-church-of-olmsted-80002983/"}