{"nrhp_refnum":"85001803","name":"First Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["First United Methodist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"301 Lincoln Way E.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Massillon","county":"Stark County","state":"OH","lat":40.797233007000045,"lon":-81.51880115799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-08-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Richardsonian Romanesque Revival church at 301 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, built in 1892-93 of rock-faced sandstone. It is now First United Methodist Church.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the most fully developed example of Romanesque Revival architecture in downtown Massillon, with a high degree of ornamentation and craftsmanship. Together with the grand houses of the Fourth Street Historic District, it represents the period when Massillon developed most vigorously. It is also apparently the best local example of architect James P. Bailey's work.","narrative":"Built in 1892-93 at the corner of Lincoln Way East and 3rd Street in downtown Massillon, this church is a Richardsonian Romanesque Revival building of rock-faced sandstone laid in alternating narrow and wide courses. It replaced an earlier church dedicated in 1889 and destroyed by fire in 1892; darker stone from that building's foundation remains in the raised basement and contrasts with the lighter stone above. A bell and clock tower marks the northwest corner, joined by a slender turret, and small conical-roofed minaret towers define a wing on the southwest. Round arches and stained glass windows recur throughout. Inside, the worship room has a domed ceiling carried on four columns with carved wood capitals. Designed by architect James P. Bailey with Philip and Walker as builders, the church was listed as the most fully developed Romanesque Revival building in downtown Massillon. It reflects the confidence of the decades when the city's industrialists were building ornate homes along Fourth Street.","period_of_significance":"1892-93","architect_builder":"J.P. Bailey of Pittsburg, Architect; Philip and Walker, Builders","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied, privately owned religious building in excellent condition, with an early 1960s addition to the east.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.857016-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/85001803.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001803/2bb7426386-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001803/2bb7426386-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Methodist_Episcopal_Church2_(Massillon,_OH).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Methodist_Episcopal_Church2_(Massillon,_OH).JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100002553","name":"Massillon Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/massillon-downtown-historic-district-100002553/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991366","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Methodist_Episcopal_Church_(Massillon,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453303"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/stark-county/first-methodist-episcopal-church-85001803/"}