{"nrhp_refnum":"82001399","name":"First Congregational Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"431 Columbus Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sandusky","county":"Erie County","state":"OH","lat":41.452466687000026,"lon":-82.70987745799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-10-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story limestone church at 431 Columbus Avenue (corner of W. Jefferson Street) in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio, built in 1895 in the Richardson Romanesque style.","why_significant":"The inventory form cites its fine Tiffany glass and Romanesque design. It also notes that the congregation descends from a group sent by the Connecticut Missionary Society in 1819 to serve the original Firelands settlers from Connecticut.","narrative":"Built in 1895 at 431 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky, this two-story limestone church was designed in the Richardson Romanesque style. It has rock-faced ashlar walls, a domed roof, an irregular plan, a square tower at the end of the front, and an arched, recessed entrance porch reached by wide steps. The basement is mostly above ground. The building is best known for its glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany panels fill the domed ceiling, and the windows are also Tiffany work. Clear glass has been fitted over the exterior to protect them, and the dome is lit so the glass shows to advantage. The congregation traces its roots to a group from the Connecticut Missionary Society that organized in 1819 to serve the original Firelands settlers from Connecticut. Members first met in private homes, then in a church on the courthouse square, before moving into this building. It is one of three churches at the intersection, surrounded by parking lots where dwellings once stood.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Builder: George Feick (architect not clearly legible in the OCR text)","architectural_style":"Richardson Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used as a church; interior and exterior condition listed as excellent. Plain glass has been fitted over the exterior to protect the Tiffany glass.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.780834-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/82001399.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001399/2232fdc6d3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001399/2232fdc6d3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational_Church_in_Sandusky.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational_Church_in_Sandusky.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71984777","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congregational_Church_(Sandusky,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452820"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/erie-county/first-congregational-church-82001399/"}