{"nrhp_refnum":"87001885","name":"Sacred Heart Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"217 W. Fourth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dayton","county":"Montgomery County","state":"OH","lat":39.75750265200003,"lon":-84.19509111099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-10-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Sacred Heart Church is a Romanesque limestone Catholic church at 217 West Fourth Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio, completed in 1890 and designed by Dayton architect Charles Insco Williams. The nominated property also includes the c. 1888 Makley residence, used as the rectory.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is an excellent example of Romanesque architecture in Dayton under Criterion C. Its copper dome has been a landmark on the downtown skyline since 1890. It is also considered perhaps the finest work of architect Charles Insco Williams, and it retains high exterior integrity and much of its interior art and stained glass.","narrative":"Sacred Heart Church is a Romanesque landmark just west of downtown Dayton, built of rock-faced creamy Dayton limestone with Berea sandstone trim and finished in 1890. Architect Charles Insco Williams gave it a broad octagonal copper dome, two square towers with smaller domes, rose windows, and an entrance with stained glass. The nominated property also includes a c. 1888 Queen Anne-influenced house acquired in 1904 and still used as the rectory, plus a 1952 outdoor shrine depicting the Fatima miracle. Inside, large transept windows installed in 1895 and eight paintings by Cincinnati artist Charles Svendsen, done in 1902, survive, although 1970 changes after Vatican II covered frescoes and three paintings. The church was listed for its architecture. It stood out further after 1960s urban renewal cleared much of the surrounding area, and its exterior remains largely unchanged apart from new doors, adjusted steps, and removed crosses.","period_of_significance":"1888-1890; 1902; 1904","architect_builder":"Charles Insco Williams","architectural_style":"Romanesque; Queen Anne (rectory)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The church and rectory remain in religious use; the exterior is largely unaltered and the interior was changed in 1970 after Vatican II reforms.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:15.028718-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/87001885.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001885/82d83a0326-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001885/82d83a0326-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Photo by Greg Hume (Greg5030)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SacredHeartChurchDayton.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo by Greg Hume (Greg5030)</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:SacredHeartChurchDayton.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100004316","name":"Downtown Dayton Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/downtown-dayton-historic-district-100004316/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990442","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart_Catholic_Church_(Dayton,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7397158"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/montgomery-county/sacred-heart-church-87001885/"}