First Universalish Church of Sharpsville

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

The First Universalish Church of Sharpsville is a church at 131 N. Mercer Ave. in Sharpsville, Mercer County, built in 1882-1884 in the High Victorian Gothic style. Samuel W. Foulk was its architect, and the nomination also lists it as the First Universalist Church of Sharpsville. It was listed in the National Register in 2003.

Why it's listed

It was listed under criterion C, with criteria considerations A and G, and carries local-level significance in architecture. The nomination gives its period of significance as 1882 to 1884, matching the years the church was built.

Physical character

The walls are brick above a rusticated sandstone foundation with saddle-backed coping and stringcourses, and the slate roof shows black and red slates with tin cresting. Inside, the auditorium-style sanctuary follows an Akron plan, with black walnut pews, thirty stained glass windows, and a pipe organ built by the Pomplitz Co., Opus 227. The basement was remodeled with carpeting and paneling in 1945, and a wheelchair-access ramp was added in 1997.

Historical context

The cornerstone was laid in 1882 and the church was dedicated in 1884. It served as a religious facility and briefly housed the Presbyterians in 1929. The Sharpsville Area Historical Society bought it in 2000.