{"nrhp_refnum":"97001459","name":"Methodist Episcopal Church of Butler","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Butler Center Rd., jct. with Washburn Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Butler Center","county":"Wayne County","state":"NY","lat":43.16841473800008,"lon":-76.77117958299993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-11-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A vernacular Greek Revival Methodist Episcopal church built ca. 1836 on a 2.5-acre parcel in the rural hamlet of Butler Center, eastern Wayne County, New York. The parcel also holds an 1864 burial ground.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a rare, remarkably intact example of early nineteenth century vernacular Greek Revival religious architecture in eastern Wayne County (Criterion C). It is also the oldest surviving building in the former mill hamlet and was its primary public building, a focal point of civic, social and recreational life (Criterion A).","narrative":"Built around 1836, this small frame church sits in the crossroads hamlet of Butler Center in eastern Wayne County, New York. It is a rectangular, gable-roofed building in the vernacular Greek Revival style, with clapboard siding, a raised cobblestone foundation and an open belfry altered around 1900 with late Victorian ornament. The west front has a pedimented gable and a paneled double door framed by Doric pilasters and a full entablature. A rear wing, probably from about 1900, extends east. Inside, plaster walls, wainscoting, a pulpit, an altar railing and seven rows of pews survive. An 1864 burial ground with limestone markers lies on the same parcel. The church was listed for its architecture, as a rare and largely intact early nineteenth century religious building in the area. It also reflects the settlement of a former mill hamlet, where it was the oldest surviving building and long served as the main public gathering place. The church is now vacant.","period_of_significance":"1836; 1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Historic function was religious (church); current function is listed as vacant, and the significance statement calls the church now abandoned.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.249606-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/97001459.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001459/6cb2c6f57e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001459/6cb2c6f57e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"DanielPenfield","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MethodistEpiscopalChurchOfButler2020FromSouthwest.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">DanielPenfield</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:MethodistEpiscopalChurchOfButler2020FromSouthwest.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322916","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodist_Episcopal_Church_of_Butler","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6823807"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/wayne-county/methodist-episcopal-church-of-butler-97001459/"}