Oberlin Oberlin Historic Landmarks Historic Landmarks 6th Edition 2018 A descriptive list of designated landmarks and a street guide to their locations Oberlin Historic Landmarks Oberlin Historic Preservation Commission Acknowledgments: Text: Jane Blodgett and Carol Ganzel Photographs for this edition: Dale Preston Sources: Oberlin Architecture: College and Town by Geoffrey Blodgett City-wide Building Inventory: www.oberlinheritage.org/researchlearn/inventory Published 2018 by the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Oberlin Sixth edition; originally published 1997 Oberlin Historic Preservation Commission Maren McKee, Chair Michael McFarlin, Vice Chair James Young Donna VanRaaphorst Phyllis Yarber Hogan Kristin Peterson, Council Liaison Carrie Handy, Staff Liaison Saundra Phillips, Secretary to the Commission Introduction Each building and site listed in this booklet is an officially designated City of Oberlin Historic Landmark. The landmark designation means, according to city ordinance, that the building or site has particular historic or cultural sig- nificance, or is associated with people or events important to the history of Oberlin, Ohio, or reflects distinguishing characteristics of an architect, archi- tectural style, or building type. Many Oberlin landmarks meet more than one of these criteria. The landmark list is not all-inclusive: many Oberlin buildings that meet the criteria have not yet been designated landmarks. To consider a property for landmark designation, the Historic Preservation Commission needs an appli- cation from its owner with documentation of its date and proof that it meets at least one of the criteria. Some city landmarks are also listed on the National Register of Historic Plac- es, and three are National Historic Landmarks. These designations are indicat- ed in the text. Downtown Oberlin was designated a National Register Historic District in 2003. In addition, there are a number of sites in Oberlin that are listed on the National Register but are not city landmarks. A list of all Oberlin sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including National Historic Landmarks, is available at www.oberlinheritage.org/researchlearn/ nationalregister. The landmark descriptions in this booklet are arranged by location, as are the references in the centerfold map. They include the map reference number, historical name of the property, property address, date of construction, origi- nal or early owners, historical significance, and architectural style. They do not include information about the present owners. A chronological list (1833- 1958) may be found on pages 21 and 22. The following historic landmark buildings are open to the public for tours: • The Monroe House, the Jewett House, and the Little Red School- house (all at the Oberlin Heritage Center at 73 S. Professor Street; parking entrance at 20 W. Vine Street). For information call 440-774-1700 or visit www.oberlinheritage.org. • The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Weltzheimer-Johnson House ad- ministered by the Allen Memorial Art Museum. For information call 440-775- 8665 or visit www.oberlin.edu/amam. 1 Tappan Square 2 Memorial Arch Town Center Tappan Square 1833 (East side North Professor) 72 1903 Thirteen-acre square, known as the Campus until the 1940s, contained early college build- Construction sponsored by American Board ings. The Olmsted Brothers of Boston intro- of Foreign Missions to commemorate Ober- duced professional landscaping in 1914. Fol- lin missionaries and their children killed in lowing instructions in the will of Charles Mar- the Chinese Boxer Rebellion. Indiana lime- tin Hall, who admired open space and left stone embedded with polished red granite funds to maintain it, all buildings on the panels and discs, neo-classical design. Archi- tect: Joseph Lyman Silsbee of Chicago. Na- 71 square were razed by 1927. Clark Bandstand tional Register of Historic Places and National in the northeast quadrant built 1987. National Historic Landmark. Register of Historic Places and National His- toric Landmark. Forest Street South Prospect Street 49 111, Edward Johnson House 66 23, Breck House 50 123, A.A. Wright House 51 154, Oberlin College President’s House West College Street 52 174, Burklew-Barnard House 67 265, Kinney House 53 181, Arnold House 54 189, Gardner House West Lorain Street 55 195, Andrews House 68 461, Amasa West House 3 Carpenter Block 4 Commercial Block 56 230, Cahill House S.E. corner College and Main 57 251, Andrus House North Professor Street S.W. corner College and Main 69 270, Glider-Papworth House 1887 1882 South Cedar Street 58 91, Kennedy House Built gradually over several years following a Built after a great downtown fire, shows new downtown fire; three tones of brick along trends in commercial architecture of the time: Elm Street College Street facade show building stages; iron skeleton, smooth pressed brick (“Chicago 59 155, Rice-Moore House second-story offices, double bay windows brick”) exterior facing, big plate-glass win- 60 166, Wattles House look toward Tappan Square, sandstone string dows in the store fronts, ornate cornice. Cor- ner occupied by bookstore, later by bank. 61 171, Wright-Carter House courses, stained glass windows. Architect: 62 172, William Evans House Architect: Walter Blythe of Cleveland. Within Frank Weary of Akron. Within Downtown 63 221, Francis Thompson House Downtown Oberlin National Register Historic Oberlin National Register Historic District. 64 249, A.G. Comings House District. 65 291, Doolittle House Oberlin, Ohio Street Guide to Historic Landmark Locations 1 Tappan Square 2 Memorial Arch 3 Carpenter Block 4 Commercial Block 5 First Church in Oberlin East Lorain Street 5 First Church in Oberlin, UCC 6 Smith-Baumann House 6 64, Smith-Baumann House 106 North Main 64 East Lorain East College Street 1842 c. 1890 7 64, Hall House 8 82, Squire House First church in Oberlin, called the Meeting Home of Henry F. Smith, who opened Gem 9 174, Metcalf-Leonard House House, was an early center of community life. Pharmacy in 1893, became vice-president of 72 189, Scott/Graham House Charles G. Finney, evangelist and later Oberlin People’s Bank in 1906, served on city council, 10 207, Langston House 70 College president, served as pastor for 37 and in 1922 was elected mayor. Smith sold 11 228, Stevens-Wood House years. For many decades the largest religious the property to Albert and Zaidee Baumann in 12 257, Houghton House structure in the Western Reserve. Site of 1948. Queen Anne style with tower, wrap- 13 270, Richards House addresses by nationally prominent speakers. around porch, and foyer chimney encircling a 14 315, Burrell-King House Built from plans by Richard Bond, prominent stained-glass window. 15 525, Hart House New England architect; tower from design in Asher Benjamin pattern book. Greek Revival Shipherd Circle style. National Register of Historic Places. 16 116, LeDuc House 17 169, Berman-Lermond House King Street 18 39, Von Blum-Broadwell House Groveland Street 19 37, Hollingsworth House South Professor Street 20 128, Rust United Methodist Church 33 73, Jewett House 34 73 1/2, Monroe House (rear) Locust Street 35 Behind 81 S. Professor, Little Red School- 71 47, Mount Zion Baptist Church house 36 216, Albert Johnson House East Vine Street 37 227, Dascomb House 21 33, Wilson Evans House 38 288, Prucha-Macha House 22 43, Wack-Dietz House 7 Hall House 8 Squire House Reamer Place 64 East College South Main Street 39 310, Savage House 82 East College 1853 23 39, Union School 40 329, Holmes House 1901 41 336, Fiske House 24 68, Post Office Boyhood home of Charles Martin Hall, who, Home of Merton M. Squire, president of State 25 69, Old City Hall 42 337, Geiser House working in a woodshed formerly attached to 70 347, Fitch House Savings Bank. Later owned by Lois R. Cum- 26 162, Christ Episcopal Church the house, discovered electrolytic process for 43 367, Tucker House mings, kindergarten teacher who rented to 27 221, Penfield-Grills House producing aluminum. Later founder of Alcoa 44 378, Rogers House boarders. Social activist Shirley R. Johnson and 28 240, Railroad Depot and philanthropist who gave generously to 29 291, Gasholder Building architect Douglas Johnson lived in a first-floor Oberlin and other colleges. Early Italianate Oak Street apartment in the 1940s. Good example of style with central cupola, ornate milled brack- Morgan Street 45 260, Samuel Williams-Stechow House Queen Anne style, with wrap-around porch, 30 At foot of Cedar St., Old Water Tower 46 273, Cargill-Blanchard House ets, stone lintels. National Register of Historic octagonal two-story tower and bay windows. 31 429, Westwood Cemetery 47 279, Manning House Places and National Historic Chemical Land- 32 534, Weltzheimer-Johnson House 48 284, Jellife-Reynolds House mark. 1893 Waterworks Tower, Morgan at south end of Cedar 30 c. 1895 Penfield-Grills House, 221 South Main 27 1897 Breck House, 23 South Prospect 66 1897 A.G. Comings House, 249 Elm 64 1897 Doolittle House, 291 Elm 65 1901 Squire House, 82 East College 8 1903 Memorial Arch, Tappan Square (east side North Professor) 2 1905 Cargill-Blanchard House, 273 Oak 46 9 Metcalf-Leonard House 10 Langston House 1905 Glider-Papworth House, 270 North Professor 69 1905 Mount Zion Baptist Church, 47 Locust 71 207 East College 174 East College 1906 Houghton House, 257 East College 12 1850 1856 1906 Manning House, 279 Oak 47 Home of Charles Metcalf, mayor of Oberlin in Home of Oberlin College graduate John Mer- c. 1907 Jelliffe-Reynolds House, 284 Oak 48 cer Langston, Ohio’s first African-American the 1880s. Later home of the Reverend D.L. 1908 Andrus House, 251 Forest 57 Leonard, author of a one-volume history lawyer, a prominent abolitionist, civil rights leader, minister to Haiti, and Republican c. 1908 Burklew-Barnard House, 174 Forest 52 of Oberlin College, and his son congressman from Virginia.