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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Members of the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board have voted to
recommend to State Historic Preservation Officer Rachel M. Tooker that nominations for the
following properties and historic districts in Ohio be forwarded to the Keeper of the National
Register of Historic Places for her consideration:
Akron / Summit County
Cole Avenue Housing Project Historic District, 744 Colette Dr.
Akron’s Cole Avenue Housing Project has been recommended 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 has been recommended 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 has been recommended 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.
Recommended 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 has been recommended 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.
Strongsville / Cuyahoga County
Strongsville Town Hall, 18825 Royalton Rd.
Strongsville Town Hall has been recommended 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.
The board’s recommendations were made on Friday, August 3, 2007, during a meeting held at the State
Library of Ohio in Columbus. As a result, nominations for each of the properties and districts will
be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register, who directs the program for the U.S. Department
of the Interior.
If the Keeper agrees that the properties and districts meet the criteria for listing, they will be
added to the National Register of Historic Places. A decision from the Keeper is expected in about
90 days.
In other actions, the board tabled a proposed nomination for the American Felsol Building at 200 W.
Ninth St., Lorain, pending receipt of additional information.
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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