{"nrhp_refnum":"89001905","name":"Christ Episcopal Church","other_names":["Christ Church","Big Stone Gap","Dhr 101-5"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"100 Clinton Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Big Stone Gap","county":"Wise County","state":"VA","lat":36.86395310200004,"lon":-82.77640138499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cross-shaped frame Episcopal church at 100 Clinton Avenue in Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Virginia, built in 1892 to designs by Baltimore architect T. Buckler Ghequiere.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an excellent example of a late Victorian religious building in a newly laid-out industrial boom town in the Appalachian coalfields. Its stylish Gothic design with Queen Anne influence contrasts with the simple early churches of other denominations and reflects how wealthy resident industrialists used architecture to express piety and prominence. It has been sensitively altered and keeps an appearance close to the original.","narrative":"Christ Episcopal Church is a cross-shaped frame building on the corner of Clinton Avenue and East First Street in the residential part of Big Stone Gap, a coalfield boomtown. Built in 1892 from plans by Baltimore architect T. Buckler Ghequiere and constructed by C.E. and C.H. Spaulding for $2,300, it was consecrated in May of that year. Weatherboard walls, a hipped roof, a shingled belfry and a brick foundation define the exterior, while the dark-stained interior features wooden Gothic arches, tongue-and-groove sheathing and decorative pew ends. A choir room, a sacristy and an enlarged sanctuary were added in the early and mid-twentieth century, along with a narthex and a brick parish hall. The church is considered significant as a well-preserved late Victorian religious building, with Gothic forms modified by Queen Anne influence, reflecting the ambitions of the town's industrialists during its first phase of growth. The congregation continues to maintain it.","period_of_significance":"1892-1939","architect_builder":"T. Buckler Ghequiere (architect); C.E. and C.H. Spaulding (contractors)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Gothic","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; the congregation maintains the 1892 building, which has been extended with additions and a mid-twentieth century parish hall.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.60769-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/72/6841/41684172/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/89001905.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001905/c9c4720962-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001905/c9c4720962-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Betcantrell","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Episcopal_Church_1892.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Betcantrell</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:Christ_Episcopal_Church_1892.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684172","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Episcopal_Church_(Big_Stone_Gap,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5108856"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/wise-county/christ-episcopal-church-89001905/"}