Located at 812 Pearl Street, Joplin, Jasper County, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church and Rectory is a district which consists of three contributing buildings: church, rectory, and rectory garage. The church and rectory are constructed of Carthage limestone, while the garage is constructed of rusticated concrete blocks. Built in 1906 in the Late Gothic Revival style, the church is only slightly altered and retains many of the characteristic elements of its style, including oculi, or circular windows; tracery; Gothic arched windows and doors; and the triple portal entry. Constructed eleven years later, the rectory utilized the Prairie style and has also suffered only minor alterations. Although dwarfed by the imposing church, the rectory is complementary to the larger building in its construction material. The district represents a small but distinct concentration of buildings united both aesthetically and by association...
St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church and Rectory are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places ... in the area of ARCHITECTURE. The property is a district which consists of three contributing buildings: church, rectory, and rectory garage. Although representing different and distinct styles, all three buildings are related historically by function and association. In addition, the church and rectory are aesthetically linked through their use of a widely employed, locally available construction material, Carthage limestone. Constructed of rusticated concrete blocks, the contemporary rectory garage is complementary to the larger buildings. St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church was designed by Joplin architect Austin Alien and completed in 1906. A representative, essentially unaltered example of the Late Gothic Revival style, the church retains many of the distinctive features of the style, including the characteristic Gothic arched windows and doors, oculi, tracery, and a triple portal entry. Adjacent to the church, the Prairie style rectory, designed by Kansas City architect W.E. Brown and completed in 1917, is similarly unaltered.
The church and the rectory both appeared to be in excellent condition and continue to serve their original purpose.