{"nrhp_refnum":"90001035","name":"Grace Reformed Church","other_names":["Calvary Baptist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"201--211 S. Main Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Catawba County","state":"NC","lat":35.66119754600004,"lon":-81.22275319899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The former Grace Reformed Church in Newton, Catawba County, North Carolina, built 1887-1888 and designed in the Gothic Revival style, with a brick Sunday School building added to the rear in 1927-1928. It has been occupied by Calvary Baptist Church since 1959.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is the best example of Gothic Revival style remaining in Catawba County, with its architectural distinction preserved despite alterations. It also links the church to the development of the Reformed faith in the county and to the social and religious life of Newton, including its ties to Catawba College under Rev. Jacob C. Clapp.","narrative":"Built in 1887-1888 in Newton, the former Grace Reformed Church is a brick Gothic Revival building with a cruciform plan, a steeply pitched gable roof, and corner towers of unequal height. Its lancet windows, brick buttresses, and stained glass installed mainly between 1904 and 1910 are its most distinctive features. The congregation had formed in the 1840s and first worshipped in a building known as The White Church. Its second church was planned under Rev. Jacob C. Clapp, who led the congregation from 1869 to 1890 and also served as president of nearby Catawba College. Contemporaries regarded the building as the finest church in the classis. A Sunday School wing added in 1927-1928 was designed to harmonize with the older structure. The congregation moved to Brady Avenue in 1959, and the building was then bought by Calvary Baptist Church. It is significant for its architecture as the best surviving Gothic Revival church in Catawba County.","period_of_significance":"1887-1888","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied by Calvary Baptist Church since 1959","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:40.936812-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/7173/47717382/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/90001035.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001035/572bdb36f7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001035/572bdb36f7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Librerica","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calvary_Baptist_Church_-_Grace_Reformed_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Librerica</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calvary_Baptist_Church_-_Grace_Reformed_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47717382","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Reformed_Church_(Newton,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5591354"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/catawba-county/grace-reformed-church-90001035/"}