First Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church in the city of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, Ohio, United States. Located at 303 W. Washington Street, it has been recognized as a historic site because of its unusual architecture.

Early history

Organized in 1861, the congregation built its first

church building A church, church building or church house is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 and 256. From the 11th thro ...

on the southwestern corner of the intersection of Washington and Webster Streets, two blocks away from the Henry County Courthouse. Approximately forty years later, the original building was destroyed and the present structure erected on its place; construction began in 1900 and concluded in 1901.Reace, R
''Ohio Historic Inventory Nomination: First Presbyterian Church''
. Ohio Historical Society, 1977. Accessed 2010-03-01.

Architecture

Harry W. Wachter Harry Wilcox Wachter (December 27, 1868 – April 19, 1941) was an American architect in Toledo, Ohio. He was the local architect involved in the design and construction of the Toledo Museum of Art, working with Edward Brodhead Green, Edward B. Gre ...

, the church was constructed in the

American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...

style. Supported by a foundation of sandstone and topped with a terracotta roof, the building features walls of sandstone, taken from quarries near Mansfield, Ohio. Many towers and gables, finished with bargeboards, and break up the plane of its roof; among the most distinctive features of the roof is a small steeple that rises through the main tower, creating an appearance similar to that of a beehive. The interior is lit by multiple large arch windows and a

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...

. Unlike those of many sandstone buildings, the walls of First Presbyterian are built of stones of many different sizes and colors. Combined with the towers and gables of the roofline, the building presents a distinctive appearance; a 1977 survey of historic buildings pronounced the church's architecture unique for northwestern Ohio. Its unusual shapes and colors present a significant contrast to St. Augustine's Catholic Church, located on the other side of downtown Napoleon: while First Presbyterian includes a broken roofline and the many decorative elements typical of the American Craftsman style, St. Augustine's is a uniform

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 with a tower high. First Presbyterian's architecture has led to wider recognition for the church; in 1980, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architectural significance. Only three other buildings in Henry County, all of which are in downtown Napoleon, are listed on the Register; no Ohio county has fewer properties on the Register than does Henry County.

Congregation

First Presbyterian Church is an active part of the Maumee Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). When the presbytery last compiled statistics, the congregation reported 133 members; at that time, it was served by Pastor Gavin Pitt. The congregation has also owned a

parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

; located at 304 W. Main Street, near the church building, it is a brick

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

house built before the first church building was destroyed.Reace, T. and R
''Ohio Historic Inventory Nomination: Presbyterian Manse''
Ohio Historical Society, 1977. Accessed 2010-03-01.

References

External links

Church website
{{NRHP in Henry County, Ohio Churches completed in 1901 20th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Religious organizations established in 1861 American Craftsman architecture in Ohio Buildings and structures in Henry County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Henry County, Ohio Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Presbyterian churches in Ohio 1861 establishments in Ohio Churches in Henry County, Ohio Napoleon, Ohio

Early history

Architecture

Congregation

References

Further reading

External links