{"nrhp_refnum":"86001947","name":"Welsh Congregational Church","other_names":["Messiah Holiness Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"220 N. Elm St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Youngstown","county":"Mahoning County","state":"OH","lat":41.103747647000034,"lon":-80.63419834999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-07-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A frame church at 220 N. Elm Street in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, built in 1861 as the Welsh Congregational Church and enlarged and remodeled in 1887. It is a gable-roofed building with a stone foundation.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the oldest remaining church in downtown Youngstown and the only downtown Welsh church that retains its architectural integrity. It reflects the settlement of Welsh immigrants in the Mahoning Valley. It also combines Greek Revival elements with a dominant 1887 Queen Anne remodeling.","narrative":"Built in 1861 as a Welsh Congregational church, this frame building at 220 N. Elm Street is the oldest surviving church in downtown Youngstown. It began as a Greek Revival structure and was remodeled in 1887 in the Queen Anne style, which now dominates the street facade. Notable features include an octagonal bell tower with Corinthian columns and a conical roof, patterned shingles, ornate scroll brackets under the porch hood, and tripartite windows. Greek Revival details remain in the boxed cornice, gable returns and simple window frames. Inside, oak pews, wainscot, pulpit and wood flooring survive. The church reflects the Welsh immigrants who came to the Mahoning Valley to work in coal mines and help build the first mills and blast furnaces. Of the three Welsh churches, it is the only one downtown that kept its architectural integrity. The Welsh congregation used it until 1975, when another congregation bought it and continues to hold services there.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne/Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In church use; condition listed as good, and the building is described as remarkably intact. Owned since 1975 by a different congregation, which still uses it.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.449754-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/86001947.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001947/2093551633-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001947/2093551633-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsh_Congregational_Church_on_Elm.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsh_Congregational_Church_on_Elm.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985849","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Congregational_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7981881"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/mahoning-county/welsh-congregational-church-86001947/"}