St. John's Lutheran Church
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
St. John's Lutheran Church is a small Romanesque Revival church at 6135 Kays Road in Sandy Corners, Washington Township, Franklin County, Ohio. The inventory dates it to about 1860, while a datestone in the tower carries the year 1900. It is built of brick with cut stone foundation and trim, and has a gable roof covered in asphalt shingles. The building has two stories, an L-shaped plan, three bays across the front and sides, and corbeled buttresses. The surveyor noted that the forebays on either side of the tower look like later additions, and that the tower is topped by sheet metal, with a large circular feature above the entrance and stained glass in the side windows. The inventory links the congregation to German settlers and mentions a church organ dated 1856. A graveyard lies around the church. The property is still used as a church, and its exterior condition was rated excellent. It is one of the resources recorded in a survey of Washington Township historic properties.
Significance in brief: The inventory sheet records the church as a historic religious building serving German settlers, with a church organ dated 1856. It notes the Romanesque Revival design, a massive circular feature above the entrance, and stained glass side windows. The form gives little explicit argument for significance.
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 79002877, listed April 11, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | 6135 Rings Rd., Sandy Corners |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | April 11, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002877 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a church; condition listed as excellent on the inventory sheet, with a graveyard around the church. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.08011, -83.15647 (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 79002877.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138337512
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.