{"nrhp_refnum":"91000289","name":"St. Matthew's Lutheran Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"307 W. Court St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marion","county":"McDowell County","state":"NC","lat":35.68273905600006,"lon":-82.01296944999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-03-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Gothic Revival-inspired vernacular church at 307 W. Court Street in Marion, McDowell County, North Carolina, completed in 1935 and built of smooth yellow river rock from the Catawba River.","why_significant":"The church is significant under Criterion C in the area of architecture as the only intact example in Marion of a vernacular building based on the Late Gothic Revival style. It is notable for its local materials and masonry craftsmanship. It was built by a small congregation with minimal resources and contrasts with the high-style designs of First Baptist and First Presbyterian.","narrative":"St. Matthew's Lutheran Church is a small vernacular church on West Court Street in Marion, North Carolina, completed in 1935. Its walls are laid with smooth, yellow river rock brought from the nearby Catawba River. Gothic Revival touches include lancet windows, a gabled parapet front and shallow stepped buttresses, while the rear is wood covered with asbestos siding. Inside, a central aisle leads to the altar, which holds the building's only stained glass, and the oak pews and dark-stained woodwork remain simple. The design is attributed to Q. E. Herman, and local stone mason Pink Williams carried out most of the construction. The congregation organized in 1932, met in borrowed spaces including the county courthouse, and financed the building with a loan and a small lot purchase. The church is significant as the only intact example in Marion of this kind of vernacular Late Gothic Revival design, showing fine local craftsmanship and materials.","period_of_significance":"1935","architect_builder":"Q.E. Herman, architect; Pink Williams, builder","architectural_style":"Vernacular late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Historic and current function is listed as religious structure; the church retains its architectural integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.998558-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/7182/47718205/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/91000289.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000289/0b3f340846-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000289/0b3f340846-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Upstateherd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Matthews_Lutheran_Church,_Marion,_NC.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:St._Matthews_Lutheran_Church,_Marion,_NC.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718205","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Matthew%27s_Lutheran_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7590608"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/mcdowell-county/st-matthews-lutheran-church-91000289/"}