{"nrhp_refnum":"91001673","name":"Church of St. Dismas, the Good Thief","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Clinton Correctional Facility, Cook St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dannemora","county":"Clinton County","state":"NY","lat":44.72469066900004,"lon":-73.72209476499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large Neogothic-inspired fieldstone Roman Catholic chapel inside the walls of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, Clinton County, New York, built 1939-1941 by and for the prison's inmates.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a rare and distinguished example of a house of worship built and used by state prison inmates, and believes it to be the only intact historic church built on New York State prison grounds. It is significant under Criterion C for its intact Neogothic design and finely crafted interior of rare materials and decorative arts. Under Criterion A it illustrates a renewed emphasis on the spiritual welfare of inmates within the state prison system.","narrative":"Inside the walls of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora stands a Neogothic-style fieldstone chapel, the Church of St. Dismas, the Good Thief. Built between 1939 and 1941, it was constructed by inmates under prison chaplain Ambrose Hyland, using stone salvaged from the prison's first cell block, an old wall and the farm building. Architects from Catholic University donated the plans, and the Rambush Decorating Company trained inmates in ironwork, woodcarving, sculpture and stained glass. The rectangular building has a slate roof, a rose window, buttressed side walls and a 106-foot tower. Inside are marble altars, a bronze tabernacle, oak pews and stained glass windows of the Stations of the Cross made by inmates. A greenhouse, grotto and stone wall on the 1.07-acre site also contribute. The chapel was listed for its architecture and as a rare prison-built church illustrating efforts to serve inmates' spiritual needs. It remains in use for Catholic and Protestant services.","period_of_significance":"1939-1941","architect_builder":"Frederick Vernon Murphy & Thomas Lorcroft (architects); Viggo F.S. Rambush; Rambush Decorating Company","architectural_style":"20th Century Revival: Neogothic","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a place of worship for the prison's Catholic and Protestant inmates; the interior is described as highly intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:44.803205-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/91001673.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316922","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Dismas,_the_Good_Thief","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5117213"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/clinton-county/church-of-st-dismas-the-good-thief-91001673/"}