{"nrhp_refnum":"83002287","name":"St. Gertrude Roman Catholic Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"311 Franklin Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Vandergrift","county":"Westmoreland County","state":"PA","lat":40.60287494600004,"lon":-79.56845985599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. Gertrude Roman Catholic Church is a church building in a residential neighborhood of Vandergrift, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, set on a slight incline about fifty feet from the street. It was erected in 1911 and is designed in the Italian Romanesque style on a basilica plan.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is the only example of Italian Romanesque architecture in Westmoreland County and one of the best in western Pennsylvania. It is also described as a visual focal point in Vandergrift and an important community-integrating force in the town's early history. Its architect, John T. Comes, is considered a specialist in Roman Catholic church design, and this is regarded as one of his finest works.","narrative":"Built in 1911 on a basilica plan, St. Gertrude Roman Catholic Church stands in a residential neighborhood of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, about fifty feet back from the street on a slight incline. Its Italian Romanesque design includes a central pavilion projecting between twin campaniles, a rusticated stone base, alternating red brick bands and smooth stone courses, and a sculptured entrance with three semi-columns, a frieze, and a tympanum showing the four evangelists. A thirteen-light rose window sits above the entrance, and the interior has five-bay arcades with ornate columns, stained glass depicting the life of Christ, and sculptured stations of the cross. Designed by John T. Comes of Pittsburgh, a noted specialist in Catholic churches, it was built on land bought by Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, founder of St. Vincent's College and Seminary. The church is regarded as the only Italian Romanesque building in Westmoreland County and one of the finest in western Pennsylvania, and it became a focal point of the steel town's civic life.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"John T. Comes (architect); Dusquesne Construction Company (builder)","architectural_style":"Italian Romanesque","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Unaltered, original site","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.519623-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/83002287.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002287/3d50075ca7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002287/3d50075ca7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Gertrude%27s_Catholic_Church,_Vandergrift.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Gertrude%27s_Catholic_Church,_Vandergrift.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998480","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Gertrude_Roman_Catholic_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588253"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/westmoreland-county/st-gertrude-roman-catholic-church-83002287/"}