{"nrhp_refnum":"87002073","name":"Bigelow United Methodist Church","other_names":["Bigelow Methodist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"415 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Portsmouth","county":"Scioto County","state":"OH","lat":38.73390518300005,"lon":-82.99911813499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-12-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Methodist church at 415 Washington Street in the Boneyfiddle area of Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio, built in 1858 with rear additions in 1892 and 1906. The architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a significant example of mid-19th century religious architecture in Portsmouth. It is one of three churches remaining from the 1850s and shows an early Romanesque-influenced style that departs from earlier Greek Revival and Gothic Revival churches. It also retains integrity of location, setting and feeling, and is the oldest extant Methodist church building in Portsmouth.","narrative":"Bigelow United Methodist Church is a brick sanctuary on a corner lot at 415 Washington Street in Portsmouth's Boneyfiddle area. Built in 1858, it has an early Romanesque-influenced design, with a symmetrical front, a central three-story tower topped by a small spire, and recessed segmental arches shaped by decorative brick dentils. Tall arched bays line the north and south sides, and the original slate gable roof survives. Additions made to the rear in 1892 and 1906 match the scale and materials of the original building. The church was rebuilt after fires in 1859 and 1867, and in 1892 the interior was reoriented. It is the second building for Portsmouth's oldest congregation, organized in 1814, and is the oldest surviving Methodist church building in the city. It is one of three 1850s churches left in Portsmouth and was recognized for its architecture, which differs from the city's earlier Greek Revival and Gothic Revival churches and its later Victorian Gothic ones. It remains an important visual landmark.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Early Romanesque influence (Early Romanesque Revival)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; interior and exterior condition are listed as excellent.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:15.031103-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/87002073.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002073/cd4756df83-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002073/cd4756df83-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bigelow_UMC,_Portsmouth.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bigelow_UMC,_Portsmouth.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986114","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_United_Methodist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4906824"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/scioto-county/bigelow-united-methodist-church-87002073/"}