June 30, 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
June 30, 2016 Historic Building Preservation Architectural History Historic Preservation Planning 92 East Washington Street ▪ Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022 1325 Inglewood Drive ▪ Cleveland Hts., Ohio 44121 PH 440.247.8319 ▪ [email protected] PH 216.482.1179 ▪ [email protected] Abstract The City of Cuyahoga Falls received a 2015 Certified Local Government (CLG) grant from the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History connection (SHPO) to undertake a Historic Architectural Survey of seventy (70) buildings located in the Cuyahoga River Planning Area including thirty-seven (37) new OHI Forms and thirty-three (33) revised OHI Forms. The City of Cuyahoga Falls does not have a National Register or local historic district. The purposes of the Survey are to: (i) verify and revise information on existing OHI forms and document new historic properties; (ii) determine boundaries for National Register and local historic district(s); (iii) create an accessible resource of historical and architectural information through the OHI I-Form for use by the Design & Historic Review Board in administering the Local Historic Preservation Ordinance and for on-going historic preservation planning directives; (iv) assist the Design & Historic Review Board in their efforts to protect, preserve, enhance and encourage preservation of the local historically significant architecture and cultural heritage of the City of Cuyahoga Falls, including landmark designation; (v) create community awareness about architectural and cultural heritage of Cuyahoga Falls and educate the community on the benefits of historic preservation; and, (vi) encourage reinvestment and commercial development of historic properties within the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Two proposed National Register historic districts have identified. The Cuyahoga Falls Downtown Commercial Historic District includes historic resources centered on Portage Trail and Front Street. The district appears significant under Criterion A: Community Planning and Development and Transportation. Historic buildings dating from 1900 to 1929 dominate the district; with a period of significance from 1874 to 1954. Buildings on Front Street have retained density and historic scale with Two-Part and One-Part commercial buildings; and demonstrate Mid-Century Modern architecture (1949-1954) intermingled with subsequent rehabilitation of historic buildings. A second potential National Register Historic District is Church Square. This district is significant under Criterion C: Architecture with representative examples of Late Gothic Revival, Neoclassical, Colonial Revival and New Formalism architectural styles from 1908 to 1962; and Criterion A: Community Planning and Development. Determination of proposed Local Historic District boundaries included consideration of National Register criteria, local historic context, defining characteristics of the Survey Area, and Zoning. It includes the proposed National Register boundaries for the Downtown Commercial and Church Square Historic Districts. The proposed local district extends to encompass a broader boundary to allow for design review and compatible development within the historic commercial area, taking into consideration current zoning designations. A Map of the proposed Local and National Register Historic District Boundaries is included in the attached Appendix E. The Falls Tire Company - Lawson’s Building is recommended for local landmark designation; the building appears eligible for National Register listing under Criterion A: Commerce. With recent renewal efforts for the downtown commercial area, a Design Guidelines update is recommended incorporating Secretary of Interior Standard’s for Rehabilitation; local architectural styles; goals for renovations and parameters for new development. Potential future survey areas include: Chestnut Blvd. neighborhood commercial and residential buildings; Broad Blvd. neighborhoods; Post-World War II Heslop neighborhoods; and, Whitelaw and Berk Street Bungalows. In addition, it is recommended that the City of Cuyahoga Falls Façade Program be revisited and the Main Street Program to support downtown revitalization be explored. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Acknowledgements This project was conducted to support the City of Cuyahoga Falls and the local Design & Historic Review Board in their efforts to designate local and National Register Historic Districts, administer the Cuyahoga Falls Local Historic Preservation Ordinance, and assist with implementation of on-going historic preservation planning directives. The records, documents, guidance and assistance of the City of Cuyahoga Falls, the Cuyahoga Falls Historical Society, the Akron-Summit County Public Library and the Summit County Fiscal Office were essential to the successful completion of the Survey project. Administration Design & Historic Review Board Mayor Don Walters Janna M. Amole, Chair Russ Iona Fred R. Guerra, Planner Diana Colavecchio Mary Ellen Pyke Nicholas Sugar, Senior Planner Mark Gillis Joel Testa Sara Leedham, Deputy Development Director Kathy Hummel Consultants Naylor Wellman, LLC, Historic Preservation Consultants Additional Funding Sources U.S. Department of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Fund and State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection This publication was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, administered by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection. This program receives federal assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Ace of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of Interior prohibits discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or disability. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by e recipient of federal assistance should write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents Page I. Introduction 9 II. Research Design A. Survey Objectives 10 B. Survey Area 12 C. Field Techniques & Research Methods 13 D. Expected Results 14 III. Setting and Historic Context A. Survey Project Boundary 15 B. Environmental Setting 15 C. Transportation Routes 16 D. Historical Development/Historic Contexts 17 E. Previous Historic Resource Surveys 38 IV. Results of Field Investigation – Survey Area Historic Context A. Settlement 1800-1840 40 B. Pre-Civil War 1840 – 1860 40 C. Civil War 1861-1864 41 D. Post-Civil War 1865-1875 41 E. Industrialization 1875-1900 42 F. Progressive Years-World War I 1900-1920 47 G. Post-World War I 1918-1929 60 I. Great Depression 1929-1940 64 J. World War II and Post-World War II 1940-1960 70 V. Summary and Recommendations A. Summary 75 B. Recommendations 75 VI. Bibliography 79 Appendices 84 A. Cuyahoga River Planning Area B. Location and Survey Boundary Map C. Cuyahoga Falls Survey Master Table D. City of Cuyahoga Falls Zoning Map E. Survey Area Map with Historic Context & Potential Cuyahoga Falls Local and National Register Historic Districts F. Previously Recorded Ohio State Historic Preservation Office (OHI) Forms _____________________________________________________________________________________ List of Figures Page Figure 1. Map of the Connecticut Western Reserve from Survey by Seth Pease, 1798 17 Figure 2. “Ravine at Cuyahoga Falls” 18 Figure 3. Cuyahoga Falls, 1846 19 Figure 4. Map of Summit County, Ohio, Cuyahoga Falls, 1856 20 Figure 5. Commercial Center: East side of Front Street to the north and south of Portage Trail 21 Intersection of Front Street with Pottage Trail to the north, Broad Blvd. to the south, 1882 Figure 6. Silver Lake Park and Pavilion Postcard, ca. 1905 21 Figure 7. Turner, Vaughn & Taylor Company on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River at the 22 southeast corner of Front and Broad Street, view facing southwest from Broad Street (demolished), Photo ca. 1914 Figure 8. Generator Plant on Cuyahoga River, facing south towards Portage Trail, Photo 1916 22 Figure 9. Map of Cuyahoga Falls, 1891 23 Figure10. Cuyahoga Falls River and Industry, Postcard ca. 1905 24 Figure 11. Front Street looking north to Portage Trail, Postcard ca. 1905 24 Figure 12. Centennial Celebration on Front Street, looking south from Portage Trail 25 Figure 13. Automobiles on Front Street looking north towards Portage Trail, ca. 1925 27 Figure 14. Automobiles on Portage Trial looking south towards Front Street from 27 2nd Street. Photo ca. 1927 Figure 15. Fire Station No. 1, Photo ca. 1926 28 Figure 16. Front Street in the 1930s 29 Figure 17. Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. Map 1931 30 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page Figure 18. Lawson’s at Broad Ave. and Newberry Street, Photo 1958 31 Figure 19. Front Street, photo 1944 32 Figure 20. Front Street, photo 1944 32 Figure 21. Front Street looking south from Portage Trail , Photo 1940s 33 Figure 22. Front Street looking south towards Portage Trail, Photo 1944 33 Figure 23. Front Street looking north towards Stow Ave., Photo 1949 33 Figure 24. North Side Portage Trail facing northeast from 2nd Street, Photo 1943 34 Figure 25.