First Congregational Church is a congregation of the
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...
located in
Eldora, Iowa
Eldora is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,663 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hardin County.
History
Eldora was platted in 1853. It was incorporated on July 1, 1895.
The name Eldora was ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The congregation was organized in 1868 and the church building was individually listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1996. In 2010 it was included as a
contributing property in the
Eldora Downtown Historic District in 2010.
Architecture
The church building was designed in the late
Victorian,
Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
style by Charles Durham and was built from 1893–1894.
The church is constructed of LeGrand hammer dressed
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
. It measures 47 by 90 feet and the tower rises 57 and a half feet above the
cornice line. The door sills and steps are made of
blue stone and the interior is finished in antique oak and hard pine.
[ Stained glass windows help to illuminate the interior.
]
See also
Other properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Hardin County:
* Honey Creek Friends' Meetinghouse
* St. Matthew's by the Bridge Episcopal Church
References
External links
Church website
Religious organizations established in 1868
Churches completed in 1894
United Church of Christ churches in Iowa
19th-century United Church of Christ church buildings
Romanesque Revival church buildings in Iowa
Eldora, Iowa
Churches in Hardin County, Iowa
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
1868 establishments in Iowa
National Register of Historic Places in Hardin County, Iowa
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa
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