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COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board will meet on Friday,
August 3, 2007, at 11 a.m. at the State Library of Ohio, 274 E. First Ave., Columbus. At the
meeting, the board will review seven proposed Ohio nominations to the National Register of Historic
Places. They include:
Akron / Summit County
Cole Avenue Housing Project, 744 Colette Dr.
Akron’s Cole Avenue Housing Project is proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic
Places as an example of the federal government’s response to challenges that faced society in the
1930s and 1940s. The Lanham Act of 1940 provided $150 million to the Federal Works Administration
which, in conjunction with local authorities nationwide, built over 625,000 housing units – 580,000
of them meant to be temporary construction. The 300-unit Cole Avenue Housing Project was completed
in 1941 as the city’s first public defense housing project under federal jurisdiction. The plan,
with buildings clustered around courtyards, separate areas for pedestrian and vehicular traffic,
and large open spaces, reflects Federal Housing Administration standards of the time.
Cincinnati / Hamilton County
Frederick E. and Catherine Bullerdick House, 4321 Hamilton Ave.
The 1907 Frederick E. and Catherine Bullerdick House is proposed for nomination to the National
Register of Historic Places for its local significance as an example of Cincinnati architect W.W.
Franklin’s early 20th century residential work. Features like the symmetrical façade, one-story
porch with Doric columns, bow window, broad eaves, low hipped roof, and neoclassical details
reflect the influence of the American Renaissance on late 19th and early 20th century architecture
and the arts. The house features high-quality materials and period decorative features including
neoclassical style wall and ceiling murals by the Pedretti family, the city’s best-known fresco
painters, artistic plasterers, and interior decorators of the time.
Cincinnati / Hamilton County
American Can Company Building, 4101 Spring Grove Avenue
The 1921 American Can Company Building is proposed for nomination to the National Register of
Historic Places for its history of association with one of the nation’s largest can manufacturers,
and for its architectural significance as an early 20th century Commercial Style industrial
building.
Conneaut / Ashtabula County
The Cleveland Hotel, 230-238 State St.
Proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for its history and
architecture, the 1903 Cleveland Hotel is associated with Conneaut’s growth as a Lake Erie port
linked to major transportation routes. The three-story building reflects period advances in the
hotel industry like fireproof brick, in-room baths, telephone wiring, steam heat, and electric
lighting. Late 19th and early 20th century improvements in transportation, including paved roads
and interurban electric trolleys, let more Americans travel longer distances, creating a demand
for safer and more convenient overnight lodging and dining facilities, and spurring the growth of
the hotel industry.
Dayton / Montgomery County
Engineers Club of Dayton, 110 E. Monument Ave.
The Engineers Club of Dayton is proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places
as a reflection of the stature of professional engineering in the region during the early 20th
century and for its association with Edward A. Deeds (1874-1960) and Charles F. Kettering
(1876-1958), two nationally significant engineers, inventors, and progressive business leaders who
lived and worked in Dayton for much of their lives. Deeds was known for his various positions at
National Cash Register, from chief of development and construction to president and chairman of the
board. Kettering gained fame for introducing the self-starting automobile and leaded gasoline. The
building continues to operate as home of the Engineers Club, though its principal era of
significance for the National Register is the period between 1918, when it was constructed, and
1929, when Deeds and Kettering transferred ownership to the club’s board of governors.
Lorain / Lorain County
American Felsol Building, 200 W. Ninth St.
The American Felsol Company Building is proposed for nomination to the National Register of
Historic Places for its association with the medical and pharmaceutical research work of William C.
Feicks, developer of Felsol, a mistletoe derivative that provided relief of asthma and hay fever
and was a pain reliever and fever reducer. Completed in 1910, the three-story brick building served
as an I.O.O.F. hall until 1937, when it was renovated to house the American Felsol Company.
Strongsville / Cuyahoga County
Strongsville Town Hall, 18825 Royalton Rd.
Strongsville Town Hall is proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for
its association with the governmental, educational, social, and architectural history of the
township. Built by Robert W. Henry, a local master builder, the two-and-a-half story frame building
was dedicated on December 31, 1879, and is an example of the Italianate style architecture popular
throughout Ohio from the 1850s-1890s, featuring tall windows, a wide cornice, paired brackets,
and a square cupola.
If the board finds that the proposed nominations appear to meet the criteria for listing on the
National Register it will recommend to State Historic Preservation Officer Rachel M. Tooker that
they be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places for her consideration.
The 17-member board, chaired by Aaron Askew of Columbus, is appointed by the governor to advise the
Ohio Historical Society and the state on historic preservation matters. It includes professionals
in history, architecture, archaeology, and other historic preservation related disciplines as well
as citizen members. The board meets three times each year to consider proposed Ohio nominations to
the National Register of Historic Places and conduct other business.
About the National Register
The National Register lists places that should be preserved because of their significance in
American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. It includes buildings,
sites, structures, objects, and historic districts of national, state, and local importance.
To be eligible for listing on the National Register a property or district must:
- be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our
history, or
- be associated with the lives of people significant in our past, or
- embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or represent
the work of a master, or possess high artistic values, or represent a significant, distinguishable
entity whose components may lack individual distinction (e.g. a historic district), or
- have yielded, or be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
National Register listing often raises community awareness of a property. However, listing does not
obligate owners to repair or improve their properties and does not prevent them from remodeling,
altering, selling, or even demolishing them if they choose to do so.
Owners or long-term tenants who rehabilitate income-producing properties listed on the National
Register can qualify for a 20 percent federal income tax credit if the work they do follows the
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, guidelines used nationwide for repairs
and alterations to historic buildings.
In Ohio anyone may prepare a National Register nomination. Nominations are made through the Ohio
Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society. Proposed nominations are reviewed by
the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, a governor-appointed panel of citizens and
professionals in history, architecture, archaeology, and related fields. The board reviews each
nomination to see whether it appears to be eligible for listing on the National Register, then
makes a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer. The final decision to add a
property to the register is made by the National Park Service, which administers the program
nationwide.
The Ohio Historic Preservation Office is Ohio’s official historic preservation agency. A part of
the Ohio Historical Society, it identifies historic places in Ohio, nominates properties to the
National Register of Historic Places, reviews federally-assisted projects for effects on historic,
architectural, and archaeological resources in Ohio, consults on the conservation of older
buildings and sites, and offers educational programs and publications.
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Contact Tom Wolf, Public Education Manager, Ohio Historic Preservation Office, (614) 298-2000, or via e-mail:
twolf@ohiohistory.org
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