{"nrhp_refnum":"80003055","name":"First Universalist Church","other_names":["Inspirational Baptist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2600 Essex Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.12706508300005,"lon":-84.49521777099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A church building at 2600 Essex Place in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, built in 1898 to designs by Samuel Hannaford & Sons. It is now the Inspirational Baptist Church.","why_significant":"It is nominated as part of the Thematic Resources of Samuel Hannaford, covering works by the Cincinnati architect and his firm. The form calls it a good example of Romanesque architecture. It also notes the congregation's history, which began in Cincinnati in 1827.","narrative":"Built in 1898 at 2600 Essex Place in Cincinnati's Walnut Hills, this church was designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons for the First Universalist congregation. The low building sits on a hillside and has an L-shaped plan, with a large gable at each end of the L. An octagonal tower about 30 feet high fills the angle between the two wings. The east facade has a Palladian-type window above three rectangular windows, and the north facade has an arched Gothic-style window, the only significant Gothic motif on the church. Walls are rock-faced limestone ashlar under a slate gable roof. The Universalist congregation was founded in Cincinnati in 1827 by Eliphalet Case, met on Walnut Street, then moved to Plum Street in 1859 before building here under building committee chairman Richard Wooley. The building is considered a good example of Romanesque architecture and is included among Hannaford's works. It remains in church use.","period_of_significance":"1898","architect_builder":"Samuel Hannaford & Sons (architect); builder unknown","architectural_style":"Romanesque influences","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a church; exterior and interior condition listed as good. The octagonal tower cap has been removed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.102663-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80003055.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003055/1d7c090872-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003055/1d7c090872-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Former_First_Universalist_Church_in_Cincinnati.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Former_First_Universalist_Church_in_Cincinnati.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985336","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Universalist_Church_(Cincinnati,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5454029"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/first-universalist-church-80003055/"}