{"nrhp_refnum":"00000182","name":"Masonic Lodge #472","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"18 Commercial St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Zaleski","county":"Vinton County","state":"OH","lat":39.28217533600008,"lon":-82.39360228399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-03-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Italianate commercial and lodge building at 18 Commercial Street in the center of Zaleski, Vinton County, Ohio, begun in 1881 and with its cornerstone laid in 1884. It is also known as the Fischer Building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building reflects the development of the Hanging Rock iron industry region and Zaleski's prosperous period. It combined commercial, cultural and social functions under one roof, with a store, a theater and auditorium, and a Masonic lodge hall. It is nominated under Criterion A in the areas of social history and entertainment/recreation.","narrative":"Rising three stories at 18 Commercial Street in Zaleski, this brick and sandstone building was the tallest in Vinton County when completed in 1884 and, according to the nomination, still is. Local Masons bought the lot in 1881 from the Zaleski Mining Company, and the Stuart Company of Chillicothe built it. Each floor served a different purpose: a store on the ground level, an auditorium called Lyceum Hall on the second floor, and the Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star meeting rooms on the third. Lyceum Hall hosted plays, dances, commencements and religious services. Ernest Fischer bought the building in 1895 for commercial use, and the Fischer family ran a general store there until 1940. The Masons stayed on the third floor until 1991. The building reflects the prosperity of Zaleski during the iron industry era, when the town was the largest in the county. It is now unoccupied and has been altered, but the second floor auditorium remains largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1884-1949","architect_builder":"The Stuart Company - Chillicothe, Ohio","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Italianate","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Described as presently unoccupied, with vandalism to windows, though the building has been secured. The form lists current function as vacant/not in use.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.256568-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/00000182.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000182/1af34891d7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000182/1af34891d7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Lodge_No._472,_Zaleski.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Lodge_No._472,_Zaleski.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991814","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_Lodge_No._472","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6783699"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/vinton-county/masonic-lodge-472-00000182/"}