{"nrhp_refnum":"89001417","name":"Forest City Baptist Church","other_names":["First Baptist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"301 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Forest City","county":"Rutherford County","state":"NC","lat":35.33437915900004,"lon":-81.86908123399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Neoclassical Revival church at 301 West Main Street in Forest City, Rutherford County, North Carolina, built in 1915 with an adjoining 1927 educational building, on a 1.7-acre site.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion C for architecture. It is a fine 1915 Neoclassical Revival church and the only known work in town of architect James M. McMichael. The 1927 Alexander Memorial Building, with a similar portico, forms a cohesive facade reflecting the growth and prosperity of the Baptist congregation and the town.","narrative":"Set on a knoll near downtown Forest City, North Carolina, this red brick church was completed in 1915 to designs by Charlotte architect James M. McMichael, with Longest and Tessier of Greensboro as contractor. Its plan is cruciform, built around an octagonal core under a slate-covered pyramidal roof, and its front wing carries a full-height Ionic portico. A matching educational building, the Alexander Memorial Building, was designed by Casey and Fant of Anderson, South Carolina, built by W. H. Hand and Sons, and occupied in 1927. It has a similar Ionic portico, and the two buildings together form an imposing facade. The congregation, founded in 1848 and later renamed First Baptist Church, built the 1915 church as the town grew with new mills, electricity and piped water. It is the town's most notable Neoclassical Revival building and the only known McMichael work there. Later additions, a 1950s chapel and a 1980 fellowship hall, sit at the rear, leaving the early buildings largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1915-1927","architect_builder":"McMichael, James M./Longest & Tessier; Casey and Fant/W. H. Hand & Sons","architectural_style":"Neoclassical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in religious use as First Baptist Church; later additions include a 1956-57 chapel and a 1980 fellowship hall placed at the rear.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.163267-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7221/47722166/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/89001417.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001417/3cb0402a38-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001417/3cb0402a38-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Upstateherd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forest_City_Baptist_Church.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Upstateherd</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:Forest_City_Baptist_Church.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722166","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_City_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5468818"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/rutherford-county/forest-city-baptist-church-89001417/"}