{"nrhp_refnum":"86003453","name":"GAR Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"626--628 N. Second St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lykens","county":"Dauphin County","state":"PA","lat":40.56789943900003,"lon":-76.69993040699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-11-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story gray limestone meeting hall in the borough of Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, with a horizontally sided gable roof section and a single-story concrete block rear addition. It was built as a Methodist church, with construction begun in 1850 and dedication in 1852.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building served a range of community functions for most of its history, including church services, town meetings, fire company quarters, a veterans' meeting place and a women's relief organization's headquarters. It was described as the only public meeting place in Lykens for seven decades after it was built, and it is regarded as the oldest social center building in the borough.","narrative":"Built of gray limestone in Lykens, the two-story hall was begun in 1850 and dedicated in 1852 as a Methodist church, with Richard Nolen credited as builder and stonemason. Its cut stone front has a gable roof with a box cornice, a cornice return with brackets, and a double-door entrance under a spindle-decorated cornice. The interior has wainscoting on both floors. From 1853 to 1867 it also hosted Lutheran and Presbyterian congregations. Later it served as a residence, an armory for the state military board, a fire company hall and a meeting place for Civil War veterans of Heilner Post #232 of the Grand Army of the Republic from 1898. The Heilner Women's Relief Corps also used it and erected a memorial marker in front. During the 1918 influenza epidemic it was used as a hospital. Because it held town meetings, civic clubs and scout groups for decades, it is regarded as an important community gathering place in Lykens.","period_of_significance":"1850-1852","architect_builder":"Richard Nolen (builder/stonemason)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Used as a senior citizens' center; renovated in 1985 with interior and exterior painting and electrical upgrades.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.085578-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86003453.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003453/de5ee5aa5b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003453/de5ee5aa5b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GAR_BUILDING,_LYKENS,_DAUPHIN_COUNTY,_PA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</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:GAR_BUILDING,_LYKENS,_DAUPHIN_COUNTY,_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996351","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAR_Building_(Lykens,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5512875"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/dauphin-county/gar-building-86003453/"}