St. Martin's Catholic Church
Why it's listed
Rising from farmland southwest of Valley City, this brick church was built in 1861-1862 for St. Martin's parish, a congregation of German farm families from Alsace and Baden who had settled in Liverpool Township by the 1830s. It is the parish's third building, following a log chapel of 1842 and a brick church of 1849. Under Father John Van den Broek, the present church cost $30,000, far more than a typical rural church of its day. It has a square tower with a spire, buttressed side walls, a rear apse and vestry, and an interior of three aisles under pointed vaults, with mid-Victorian stained glass and a pipe organ installed in 1881. A tornado shifted the steeple in 1909, and the chancel was remodeled in 1961. The nomination values it as an early immigrant-built church in northern Ohio and a fine Victorian Gothic example. It suggests, without documentation, that Patrick C. Keely may have supplied the plan.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a relatively early example in northern Ohio of a large church built by a non-English immigrant community, here German farm families. It is an unusually expensive and imposing structure for a completely rural setting and an excellent example of Victorian Gothic style. The plan may have come from architect Patrick C. Keely, though this is conjecture without documentation.
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 75001486, listed November 12, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Valley City on Station Rd. (CR 23), Valley City |
|---|---|
| County | Medina County |
| Listed | November 12, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001486 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1861-1862 |
| Architectural style | Victorian Gothic (Gothic Revival) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition, altered, on its original site, and in religious use as a church. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.22504, -81.95491 (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 75001486.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7590008
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.