Rock Rapids United Methodist Church

Rock Rapids United Methodist Church, formerly known as First Methodist Church, is located in Rock Rapids, Iowa, United States. The church building is significant for the use of blue-gray and red granite used in its construction.[2] It was designed by Sioux Falls, South Dakota architect Joseph Schwartz utilizing the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Completed in 1896, it is the second church building for a congregation founded in the 1870s. The blue-gray granite quarried near Sioux Falls is the main building material, and it is laid in a random ashlar pattern. The red granite was acquired from the receiver of a bankrupt packing plant which had begun, but did not complete, a new stone building. It is used for the trim, especially in the voussoirs of alternating colors. The building also features a tall corner bell tower. The pipe organ was ordered from the Hinners Organ Company of Pekin, Illinois in January 1905 at a cost of $1,960 (equivalent to $66,000 in 2023).[3][4] An addition was added to the south side of the church in 1966. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]

First Methodist Church
Rock Rapids United Methodist Church is located in Iowa
Rock Rapids United Methodist Church
Rock Rapids United Methodist Church is located in the United States
Rock Rapids United Methodist Church
Location302 S. Carroll St.
Rock Rapids, Iowa
Coordinates43°25′45″N 96°10′19″W / 43.42917°N 96.17194°W / 43.42917; -96.17194
Arealess than one acre
Built1895-1896
ArchitectJoseph Schwartz
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.78001244[1]
Added to NRHPJune 23, 1978

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Nadine Pettengill. "First Methodist Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-02. with two photos from 1977
  3. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "Local Brevities". Rock Rapids Reporter. January 12, 1905. Retrieved April 11, 2016.