{"nrhp_refnum":"83003146","name":"First United Methodist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"322 Lamar St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Paris","county":"Lamar County","state":"TX","lat":33.659378066000045,"lon":-95.54933325199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story church with a full basement and domed octagonal clerestory, at 322 Lamar Street near the central business district of Paris, Lamar County, Texas. It was built in 1922 to designs by the Fort Worth firm Vanslyke and Woodruff.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that it is an unusual Texas example of a Protestant church with decorative interior painting. It is also a substantial architectural landmark in Paris, with a design strongly influenced by Palladian villas. It reflects the 1918 merger of two Methodist congregations.","narrative":"Dominating a corner lot near downtown Paris, Texas, First United Methodist Church is a massive rectangular building of three stories over a full basement, topped by a domed octagonal clerestory. A steel frame is clad in Indiana granite, with a red clay tile roof. Classical Revival elements such as Palladian windows, pedimented porticoes and Corinthian pilasters mix with Mediterranean touches, and the massing recalls Palladio's Villa Rotunda. Inside, an octagonal sanctuary lies under a large dome with a stained-glass inset. Molded acanthus leaves, swags, stenciled foliage, painted garlands and Art Nouveau-inspired lilies decorate the space. The congregation traces to 1843, and two Methodist groups merged in 1918 after a 1916 fire spurred the decision. Fort Worth architects Vanslyke and Woodruff designed the new church, which opened in the basement by 1922, with the main auditorium completed in 1924. It is noted as an unusual Texas Protestant church with decorative painting and as a local landmark. The building is in excellent condition after recent restoration.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Vanslyke and Woodruff (architect); builder unknown","architectural_style":"Classical Revival with Mediterranean influences","criteria":[],"status_note":"Stated to be in excellent condition, having recently undergone extensive repairs and restoration.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.598654-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/9698/40969825/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83003146.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003146/33ebde8aef-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003146/33ebde8aef-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Michael Barera","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_July_2015_34_(First_Methodist_Church).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Barera</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_July_2015_34_(First_Methodist_Church).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969825","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_United_Methodist_Church_(Paris,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5454008"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/lamar-county/first-united-methodist-church-83003146/"}