{"nrhp_refnum":"97000100","name":"First Presbyterian Church of Augusta","other_names":["Christ Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"642 Telfair St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Augusta","county":"Richmond County","state":"GA","lat":33.470524656000066,"lon":-81.96496075799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-02-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Presbyterian church building at 642 Telfair Street in downtown Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia. The sanctuary was built 1809-1812 to a design by Robert Mills and remodeled in Romanesque style in 1847.","why_significant":"The church is significant in architecture for showing how a Classical building by Robert Mills was changed over time to follow prevailing church styles, and for its Romanesque remodeling of 1847. It is significant in social history and religion as the oldest Presbyterian church building in Augusta, in a state dominated by Baptists and Methodists. It also hosted the 1861 founding of the Presbyterian Church General Assembly for the Confederate States.","narrative":"Downtown Augusta's First Presbyterian Church began as Christ Church, with its cornerstone laid on July 4, 1809, and the sanctuary completed on May 17, 1812. Robert Mills drew the original Classical plans in 1807, and those drawings survive. In 1847 the building was remodeled with round-arched openings, a rose window, crenelated roof edges and a groined, bossed ceiling, giving it a Romanesque look. Its brick walls are covered in scored stucco that resembles stone. Four halls were added to the sides and rear between 1951 and 1978. The grounds include a historic fence and the grave and statue of Rev. Robert Irvine. The church matters for its changing architecture and for its religious history. It is the city's oldest Presbyterian church building. Rev. Joseph R. Wilson, father of President Woodrow Wilson, served as pastor, and in 1861 the church hosted the founding of the Confederate Presbyterian General Assembly. The same congregation has used it continuously since 1812.","period_of_significance":"1809-1946","architect_builder":"Robert Mills","architectural_style":"MID-19TH CENTURY/Early Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Remains in continuous use as a church, with a recent sanctuary renovation and plans for a new Sunday school building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.648245-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/97000100.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000100/9f14c5ae28-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000100/9f14c5ae28-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Schaeffer Studio","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Presbyterian_Church,_642_Telfair_Street,_Augusta,_(Richmond_County,_Georgia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Schaeffer Studio</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Presbyterian_Church,_642_Telfair_Street,_Augusta,_(Richmond_County,_Georgia).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000515","name":"Augusta Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/augusta-downtown-historic-district-04000515/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93209363","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Presbyterian_Church_(Augusta,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453536"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/richmond-county/first-presbyterian-church-of-augusta-97000100/"}