{"nrhp_refnum":"90001290","name":"Jacob's Church","other_names":["St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"213 E. Central Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Miamisburg","county":"Montgomery County","state":"OH","lat":39.64202129100005,"lon":-84.28633845899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Jacob's Church (St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Church) is a two-story brick Gothic Revival church at 213 East Central Avenue in Miamisburg, Montgomery County, Ohio. Its cornerstone was laid in 1861 and it was dedicated in 1864.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as one of four churches representing the Pennsylvania German settlement of southwest Montgomery County. It is also described as an excellent example of a simple but elegant mid-nineteenth century Gothic Revival church. Later additions and refurbishings record how the congregation adapted to changing social and economic conditions.","narrative":"Jacob's Church is a two-story brick Gothic Revival church on a stone foundation in Miamisburg, Ohio. Its square bell tower carries a polychromatic slate steeple, and pointed-arch stained glass windows light the sanctuary. Henry Groby designed the building and built it with his brother David; the cornerstone was laid in 1861, and it was dedicated in 1864. The congregation worshipped on the ground floor for years until the upstairs sanctuary was finished around 1873. The church grew out of a union congregation of Lutheran and German Reformed settlers from Pennsylvania, who separated in 1860. Later changes include an organ annex about 1890, new windows and pews in 1905, and an educational wing added in 1953-54. Twin spiral staircases in the foyer are among its notable features. The nomination values the church as a cultural marker of Pennsylvania German settlement in southwest Montgomery County, and its alterations record the congregation's adaptation over time. The tower was rebuilt after a 1987 lightning fire.","period_of_significance":"1864-1900","architect_builder":"Henry and David Groby","architectural_style":"Mid-Nineteenth Century, Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a religious structure; the tower was restored after a lightning fire in 1987.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.595159-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/90001290.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001290/ebaed9b483-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001290/ebaed9b483-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Jacob%27s_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Miamisburg.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Jacob%27s_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Miamisburg.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985927","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%27s_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6118203"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/montgomery-county/jacobs-church-90001290/"}