First Methodist Church | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | 302 S. Carroll St. Rock Rapids, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°25′45″N 96°10′19″W / 43.42917°N 96.17194°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1895-1896 |
| Architect | Joseph Schwartz |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001244[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 23, 1978 |
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]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Nadine Pettengill. "First Methodist Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-02. with two photos from 1977
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Local Brevities". Rock Rapids Reporter. January 12, 1905. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
