{"nrhp_refnum":"95001234","name":"First Congregational Church of Sterling","other_names":["United Church of Christ"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"311 Second Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sterling","county":"Whiteside County","state":"IL","lat":41.78926321300003,"lon":-89.69385660199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story sandstone and brick church with a basement, built in 1897-1898 at 311 Second Avenue on the corner of Second Avenue and East Fourth Street in downtown Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois. It is designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a locally significant example of Richardsonian Romanesque religious architecture under Criterion C. Its interior uses the Akron Plan, with an octagonal sanctuary and Sunday School rooms that open into it. It is described as the only church of its kind in Sterling and Rock Falls, and none comparable was found in Whiteside County.","narrative":"Built in 1897-1898 on a downtown corner in Sterling, Illinois, this church was designed by architect Wesley Arnold in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Red Portage sandstone forms the foundation, red pressed brick covers the street-facing walls, and a 100-foot square bell tower rises at the northeast corner, balanced by a smaller round tower with a conical roof. Large arched windows sit within projecting gables. Inside, Arnold used the Akron Plan: an octagonal sanctuary seating about 450, with Sunday School rooms behind it that can be opened to the main room by large sliding doors. The building has changed little apart from replaced windows and roofing in 1953 and a 1959 Education Building that is attached by a corridor. It was recognized for its architecture, being the only example of its kind in Sterling and Rock Falls and without a comparable church elsewhere in Whiteside County. The congregation still uses it.","period_of_significance":"1898","architect_builder":"Arnold, Wesley, Architect; Van Horne, P.J., Builder","architectural_style":"Romanesque (Richardsonian Romanesque)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a church and church school; the exterior and interior are described as having a high degree of historical integrity, with a 1959 Education Building added to the south.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.809485-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/87/8942/28894287/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/95001234.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001234/a1d309d367-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001234/a1d309d367-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sterling_Il_First_Congregational_Church6.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sterling_Il_First_Congregational_Church6.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894287","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congregational_Church_of_Sterling","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452863"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/whiteside-county/first-congregational-church-of-sterling-95001234/"}