{"nrhp_refnum":"86002517","name":"Presbyterian Church of McGraw","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"McGraw","county":"Cortland County","state":"NY","lat":42.59570593500007,"lon":-76.09553044099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Queen Anne style brick church at 3 West Main Street in the village of McGraw, Cortland County, New York, built in 1901 to designs by Pierce and Bickford of Elmira, with John R. Holmes as builder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a distinctive example of eclectic Queen Anne church architecture, with picturesque massing, contrasting materials, and Georgian/Colonial details such as Palladian windows, a Gibbsian bell tower and a late Georgian portico. It is also a representative work of the regionally significant Elmira partnership Pierce and Bickford. It is considered one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture in rural Cortland County.","narrative":"Built in 1901 at 3 West Main Street in McGraw, New York, this one-story brick church combines an irregular, picturesque form with an octagonal spire rising 69 feet. Its walls of tan Canandaigua brick sit on a rock-faced limestone foundation, and Palladian windows, a multi-stage bell tower and a Tuscan Doric entrance portico add Georgian and Colonial detailing to a Queen Anne plan. Inside, an octagonal auditorium with semicircular oak pews is lit by memorial stained glass from Boston, and a meeting room with movable partitions can extend the seating. The Elmira firm Pierce and Bickford designed the building, with Hiram Bickford commissioned at the request of benefactor Mrs. A.P. McGraw. The congregation, founded in 1833, had outgrown its 1835 frame church by 1900. The building is regarded as one of the most distinguished historic buildings in the village and among the finest churches in rural Cortland County. Few alterations have occurred since construction.","period_of_significance":"1901","architect_builder":"Pierce and Bickford Architects, Elmira, New York; John R. Holmes, builder","architectural_style":"Eclectic Queen Anne","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition, with few alterations since 1901; used as a religious building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.125024-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/86002517.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002517/384283644c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002517/384283644c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from now in Binghamton, NY","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Presbyterian_Church_of_McGraw_Oct_09.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from now in Binghamton, NY</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Presbyterian_Church_of_McGraw_Oct_09.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317159","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_of_McGraw","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7240762"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/cortland-county/presbyterian-church-of-mcgraw-86002517/"}