St. Paul's German Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
Also known as: St. Paul's Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
Why it's listed
Set on Elmont Road in Nassau County, this property pairs a 1904 Gothic-style church with a cemetery laid out in the 1860s by German immigrants who had moved from Manhattan and Brooklyn to the Foster's Meadow area. The one-and-a-half-story church has a steeple tower, Gothic-arched stained-glass windows, a porte cochere, and an auditorium-style sanctuary with raked pews, a tin ceiling and a three-arch chancel. Aluminum siding now covers the original clapboard. The cemetery holds roughly 240 family plots, with obelisks, statuary, cast metal markers and granite plot fencing. Older inscriptions are in German and later ones in English, reflecting Rev. Augustus Espach's gradual shift of the congregation to English during his pastorate from 1903 to 1938. The designer of the church is unknown. The property was recognized as a rare remnant of the German community that flourished here for nearly a century, and as an intact example of turn-of-the-century church design and funerary art.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church and cemetery together are a rare surviving link to the German immigrant community that thrived in Elmont (Foster's Meadow) for nearly a century (Criterion A). The church is also significant as an intact vernacular late-Victorian Gothic building, and the grid-planned cemetery for its age, design and funerary art (Criterion C).
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000931, listed September 26, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 525 Elmont Rd., Elmont |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | September 26, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000931 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1864-1938 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | European |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a church and cemetery; the church has aluminum siding over the original clapboard, and the congregation is investigating removing it. The cemetery is highly intact with very little vandalism. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.69799, -73.71461 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000931.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7591144
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.