The First Congregational Church of Ovid is a religious building in

Ovid, Michigan Ovid is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Nearly all of the city is located within Clinton County with only a very small portion extending east into Shiawassee County. The population was 1,603 at the 2010 census. The city is located along M ...

. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Registered Site #: Local Site #0114

History

In 1871, 22 people began Ovid's First Congregational Church with minister Reverend William Mulder. The next year, the congregation hired master carpenter George Fox to construct this building at the corner of High and Park Streets. In 1876, a bell was installed in the belfry. In 1899, with a growing congregation, the structure was moved to its current location and enlarged, adding a basement and two porticoes. In 1843, the Congregational and Methodist churches merged, using both buildings until 1972. In 1979, this church became a private residence.

Description

The First Congregational Church of Ovid is a frame

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

structure, in a modified T-plan. The original section measures by ; later additions increase the size. It has a gable roof and clapboard-covered walls with pilaster strips at the corners. The tall, three-stage two-story square tower topped with an octagonal belfry contains unique decorative touches. Gothic elements include tall, narrow arch-top windows and a rose window.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Carpenter Gothic church buildings in Michigan Churches completed in 1871 Michigan State Historic Sites Congregational churches in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Clinton County, Michigan 19th-century churches in the United States 1871 establishments in Michigan Wooden churches in Michigan