{"nrhp_refnum":"88003006","name":"Lyerly Building for Boys","other_names":["Nazareth Orphans' Home"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Crescent Rd./Rt. 3","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gold Hill Township","county":"Rowan County","state":"NC","lat":35.57007427800005,"lon":-80.42947000299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-01-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A granite chapel and boys' dormitory built 1913-1916 on Crescent Road in Gold Hill Township, Rowan County, North Carolina, for the Nazareth Orphans' Home of the Reformed Church.","why_significant":"It is the only early 20th century vernacular Gothic Revival granite church or chapel standing in Rowan County, and it reflects the county's granite industry. It was the first building the Reformed Church built for the Nazareth Orphans' Home, which was the county's only orphanage, and it is the oldest building on the complex. The Keeper's amendment added Criteria Consideration A because a religious institution built and operated it.","narrative":"Built between 1913 and 1916 from rough-cut native granite quarried in Rowan County, this two-story building on Crescent Road served the Nazareth Orphans' Home, founded by the Reformed Church in North Carolina in 1903. The first floor held a chapel that doubled as classrooms, and the upper floor was a boys' dormitory. It is named for Rev. J. M. L. Lyerly, who led early fundraising and served as the first president of the Home's board. Its vernacular Gothic Revival character shows in a steeply pitched slate roof, a Gothic window in the gable, a granite entry porch with balcony, and pilasters rising to the parapet. The front wall was rebuilt in 1929 and a rear addition followed in 1930. It is the only early twentieth-century granite church or chapel of its kind in the county and the oldest building on the campus. It now houses a used clothing store that supports the Home, and the interior retains its original plan and finishes.","period_of_significance":"1913-1938","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently used as a used clothing and goods store benefiting the Home; funds are being sought to restore the interior. The floor plan and original interior finishes remain largely intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:50.88415-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/7221/47722140/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/88003006.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722140","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyerly_Building_for_Boys","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19986877"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/rowan-county/lyerly-building-for-boys-88003006/"}