{"nrhp_refnum":"96000663","name":"Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["Omar--Fisher's Landing Methodist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S side of NY 180, W of jct. with Gore Rd., Hamlet of Omar","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orleans","county":"Jefferson County","state":"NY","lat":44.261972323000066,"lon":-75.97611610199993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-06-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1-1/2-story wooden Gothic Revival church on the south side of N.Y. Route 180 in the hamlet of Omar, Town of Orleans, Jefferson County, New York. The congregation was founded in 1849, and the present building replaced an earlier brick church in 1892.","why_significant":"The church is described as a largely intact late-19th century vernacular example of Gothic Revival architecture, with a pinnacled belfry, pinnacled front corners and pointed arch windows. Its apse and turned wooden altar railing are called rare in the region. It is also significant for serving as a community center and shaping the social life of the community.","narrative":"This small wooden church in the hamlet of Omar, surrounded by farmsteads and open farmland along Route 180, houses a Methodist congregation founded in 1849. The original brick building was torn down in 1892 and replaced by the present Gothic Revival structure, which rests on a hewn limestone foundation. Its open square belfry, wooden pinnacles at the front corners, scalloped shingles and arched windows with colored glass give it a distinct character among the town's 19th-century churches. Alterations include vinyl siding, asphalt roofing, a community room added around 1965 and acoustical tile covering the pressed tin ceiling. Inside, the original pews, altar railing with turned spindles, wainscoting and pressed tin walls survive. The church was recognized for its architecture, including a rare intact apse, and for its long role as a community gathering place. It remains in use, with the congregation meeting in the back room during winter.","period_of_significance":"1892 - 1937","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Vernacular; Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a church with an active congregation; in winter the congregation meets in the rear community room to save on heating costs.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.831178-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/96000663.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000663/4ab03d4b57-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000663/4ab03d4b57-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Stephen Schweitzer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methodist-Episcopal_Church_Omar.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Stephen Schweitzer</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methodist-Episcopal_Church_Omar.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313298","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodist_Episcopal_Church_(Orleans,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14706943"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/jefferson-county/methodist-episcopal-church-96000663/"}