Area less than one acre Architect Spencer Brothers Opened 1937 | Built 1937 NRHP Reference # 01001484 Added to NRHP 24 January 2002 | |
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Location 715 6th St. SW
Mason City, Iowa Architectural style Ecclesiastical, vernacular People also search for C.F. Franke House, Jewell Apartments | ||
St. John Baptist Church is a congregation that started in 1919 and is the name of its historic church at 715 6th Street SW in Mason City, Iowa that was built in 1937.
It is a 24 feet (7.3 m) by 56 feet (17 m) rectangular church with a 4 feet (1.2 m) vestibule, built on a high 5.5 feet (1.7 m) stone foundation. According to its NRHP nomination, "St. John Baptist is an example of simple vernacular design, based on the centuries-old rectangular nave floor plan. No architect has been identified, although some believe that Spencer Brothers, a local African-American construction firm, may have drawn the plans." It was built by members of the congregation, using stones salvaged from a demolished local elementary school.
It was added to the National Register in 2002. It was deemed significant " for its association with a strong African-American community, and the role the church played in an ethnically diverse neighborhood."