{"nrhp_refnum":"86001368","name":"First Methodist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"410 E. University","address_restricted":false,"city":"Georgetown","county":"Williamson County","state":"TX","lat":30.63285075400006,"lon":-97.67343887299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-06-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic Revival stone church at 410 E. University in Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, built 1891-93 to a design by Robert S. Hyer, with a two-story educational wing added in 1930.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of Gothic Revival architecture in Georgetown, especially noteworthy for its superb craftsmanship. The stonework was done by the Waterston family, who had worked on the State Capitol in Austin. The 1930 education wing closely matches the original design and is considered part of the church's architectural and historical evolution.","narrative":"Built between 1891 and 1893 at 410 E. University in Georgetown, this stone church follows a Greek Cross plan and is a Gothic Revival design. Its walls are rough-faced ashlar with dressed voussoirs and carved springstones in the lancet openings and buttresses. Large stained-glass lancet windows on the east and north sides have wood tracery and a roundel at the top. Pressed-tin spires cap the vestibules at the northwest and northeast corners. Dr. Robert S. Hyer, a physics professor at Southwestern, designed the building, and the Waterston family, who had come from the British Isles and had worked on the State Capitol in Austin, completed the stonework. The congregation was organized in 1874, soon after the university was established in Georgetown. A two-story educational wing added in 1930 echoes the original stonework and design. The church is valued mainly for its architecture and craftsmanship and remains in religious use in excellent condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Robert S. Hyer (designer); stonework by the Waterston family","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present condition is described as excellent, and the building is still in religious use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.089439-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/9708/40970809/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/86001368.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001368/01b70a9e34-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001368/01b70a9e34-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"James Howard","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstMethodistChurchGeorgetown.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">James Howard</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:FirstMethodistChurchGeorgetown.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970809","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Methodist_Church_(Georgetown,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453273"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/williamson-county/first-methodist-church-86001368/"}