{"nrhp_refnum":"96000899","name":"Congregational Church of West Stockbridge","other_names":["West Stockbridge Congregational Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Stockbridge","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.332659558000046,"lon":-73.36643431099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-07-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame Congregational church at 45 Main Street in the village of West Stockbridge, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, built in 1882 on the marble foundation of an 1843 church that burned in 1881.","why_significant":"The nomination cites the church for its Stick Style architecture, which shows the style working for a small institutional building, and for its role in the community's development. The period of significance runs from the 1843 church to 1946. The 1843 foundation and the 1882 construction are the two significant dates.","narrative":"Standing on a low hill at the southern edge of West Stockbridge village, this Congregational church was built in 1882 in the Stick Style. It replaced a Greek Revival church of 1843 that burned in 1881, and it sits on that building's locally quarried marble foundation. The cruciform wood-frame building has steeply pitched cross gables, decorative trusswork in the gable peaks, bracketed eaves, and walls patterned with stickwork, clapboards and shingles. Pointed-arch windows with colored-glass borders mark it as a church, and memorial stained glass by J. & R. Lamb of New York was given at construction. An openwork square tower holds an 809-pound bell from the Meneely Bell Company. Though the style was usually used for houses, the church fits comfortably among its residential neighbors. It was recognized for its architecture and its part in the village's development, with a period of significance of 1843 to 1946. The site may also hold archaeological remains of the earlier church.","period_of_significance":"1843-1946","architect_builder":"C. T. Rathbun / Billy H. Hatch","architectural_style":"Late Victorian / Stick/Eastlake (Stick Style)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in religious use; the form lists both historic and current function as a religious facility. A 1959 renovation deepened the basement and added a small basement entrance at the northeast corner.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.50248-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/7942/63794224/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/96000899.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000899/1be6253c49-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000899/1be6253c49-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congregational_Church_of_West_Stockbridge_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congregational_Church_of_West_Stockbridge_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794224","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregational_Church_of_West_Stockbridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5160730"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/congregational-church-of-west-stockbridge-96000899/"}