Two Nebraska Churches are New Additions to the National Register of Historic Places
Lincoln, NE - 02/05/2026 - The Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office, a department of the Nebraska State Historical Society, is pleased to announce that St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Bend, and First Congregational Church in Geneva have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are approximately 1,200 National Register of Historic Places locations in Nebraska.
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's inventory of properties deemed worthy of preservation. Listed properties are points of pride and touchstones of a shared identity for their owners and community members.
“Preservation laws, programs, and tools harness the economic and community-making power of our historic places,” said Nebraska State Historical Society Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Michael Sothan. “Successfully rehabilitating historic properties and avoiding adverse effects to historic properties is a shared achievement of everyone involved, including private property owners, community members, and local, state, and federal leaders.”
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church’s primary historic resource is its church building, a brick, Neoclassical Revival-style church built in 1916. The church’s brick is accented with limestone. The façade is dominated by two towers that rise above the church’s roof and feature many architectural elements. Historic stained-glass windows illuminate the church’s interior.
The property includes two secondary resources. One is the church’s 1978 parish hall, which is of Modern-style design. The other is the vacant northeast quarter of the full city block the church occupies, which was historically used by the community as a recreational space and known as “Catholic Lot.”
The church became significant to local social history through its hosting of events, support for community aid programs, and Catholic Lot’s recreational use. It is significant to architectural history in a few ways. The church building itself uncommonly thoroughly elaborates the Neoclassical Revival style of architecture. The whole church complex shows the addition of Modern-style architecture to earlier styles on the same property. And it is notable as a blending of styles—in this case, of one of the medieval revival styles with Neoclassical Revival—by its architect, James H. Craddock.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places Nov. 26, 2025.
First Congregational Church was built in 1926 in the Gothic Revival style. A modern education wing was added in 1960. It is historically significant to social history as the site of the church congregation’s service to the wider community, such as community hospitality toward members of the armed forces during World War II and providing educational and community gathering and activity spaces.
The church is significant to architectural history for a few reasons. It is a late expression of the Gothic Revival style. Among the churches and church additions built by its original architect, it is the fullest expression of an architectural style. And the form and materials of the 1926 church’s 1960 addition continued design precedents set by the original building, while incorporating Modern construction materials and appearance.
First Congregational Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 17, 2025.
The National Register of Historic Places and other historic preservation programs were established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. They are administered by each state’s State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO), whose work would be impossible without support from the Historic Preservation Fund and the state of Nebraska. For more information on the NRHP program in Nebraska, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at [email protected] or visit www.history.nebraska.gov/historic-preservation.
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About Nebraska State Historical Society (NSHS)
NSHS collects, preserves, and shares Nebraska’s history for all people. NSHS operates the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln and historic sites around the state including Chimney Rock Museum, Fort Robinson History Center, Neligh Mill State Historic Site, Thomas Kennard State Historic Site, Senator George Norris State Historic Site, John Neihardt State Historic Site, and over 570 historical markers placed across Nebraska. NSHS administers the State Archives and Library; the State Historic Preservation Office; the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center; the Office of the State Archeologist; publishes Nebraska History Magazine and books; and is responsible for the administration of the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission. More at https://history.nebraska.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.