{"nrhp_refnum":"94001194","name":"First Presbyterian Church","other_names":["\"Old Whaler's Church\""],"category":"building","location":{"address":"44 Union St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sag Harbor","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":40.99729555400006,"lon":-72.29367182716717,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-04-19","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1994-04-19","areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Presbyterian church at 44 Union Street in Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, New York, known locally as the Old Whaler's Church. It was built in 1843-1844 to a design by Minard Lafever.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is one of the most important Egyptian Revival buildings in the United States, combining Egyptian forms with Greek Revival detail and whaling motifs such as blubber-spade cornice ornaments. It is a major work by the noted architect Minard Lafever, and a letter from a construction laborer firmly credits the design to him. It also reflects Sag Harbor's whaling prosperity in the 1840s.","narrative":"Built in 1843-1844 on Union Street in Sag Harbor, this Presbyterian church is known locally as the Old Whaler's Church. Designed by New York architect Minard Lafever, it is regarded as one of the most important Egyptian Revival buildings in the country. Its battered walls, tall slanted windows and pylon-like facade towers draw on ancient Egyptian temples, while Greek Revival ornament and cornice details shaped like whalers' blubber spades reflect the village's whaling economy. Inside, the sanctuary seats about 800, with box pews of Cuban mahogany brought back by whaling ships, a coffered ceiling hung without supporting columns, and a painted trompe l'oeil behind the pulpit. The organ by Henry Erben is the oldest in a Long Island church. A Memorial Chapel was added at the rear in 1899. The original 185-foot steeple was lost in the 1938 hurricane. A letter from a laborer on the project confirmed Lafever's authorship.","period_of_significance":"1843-1844","architect_builder":"Minard Lafever (1798-1854)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival; Exotic Revival (Egyptian)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a religious facility; the original steeple was destroyed in the 1938 hurricane.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.524725-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/94001194_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001194/2d1a60a9b3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001194/2d1a60a9b3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstPresbyterianChurch_SagHarbor_HABS_cropped.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstPresbyterianChurch_SagHarbor_HABS_cropped.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"73001274","name":"Sag Harbor Village District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/sag-harbor-village-district-73001274/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316071","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Whaler%27s_Church_(Sag_Harbor)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085411"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/first-presbyterian-church-94001194/"}