{"nrhp_refnum":"03001099","name":"C. N. & I. Department Power House","other_names":["Power House, Combined Normal &amp","Industrial Department","Central State University Power Plant"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Central State University Campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilberforce","county":"Greene County","state":"OH","lat":39.718571772000075,"lon":-83.87445956099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-10-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Black","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and concrete industrial vernacular power plant on the Central State University campus in Wilberforce, Greene County, Ohio, built in 1926 and placed in service in 1927. It was designed by state architect Herbert B. Briggs.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an intact example of industrial vernacular architecture (Criterion C). It is also tied to the Combined Normal and Industrial Department, the state-supported vocational and teacher-training arm of Wilberforce University that became Central State University (Criterion A). It housed classrooms and labs for African American students in engineering and the trades, and it is the only historic building on the campus to survive the 1974 tornado.","narrative":"Built in 1926 and in service by 1927, this power plant on the Central State University campus in Wilberforce, Ohio, was designed by Herbert B. Briggs, then the state architect and engineer, and built by McCurran & Sons of Xenia. The brick and concrete building measures 81 by 87 feet, with Flemish common bond walls, steel sash windows, limestone trim, a flat roof and a reinforced concrete structure. It generated light, heat and power for the Combined Normal and Industrial Department, the state-supported vocational and teacher-training branch of Wilberforce University. For nearly twenty years it also served as classrooms and a laboratory for African American students in engineering and the trades. It was the only historic building on the campus to come through the April 1974 tornado, and it remains an operating steam plant, running on natural gas since 1996. It is listed for its industrial vernacular design and its link to African American education in Ohio.","period_of_significance":"1927-1952","architect_builder":"Herbert B. Briggs, State Architect and Engineer; McCurran & Sons, Xenia, contractor","architectural_style":"Other: Industrial vernacular","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still an operating steam power plant supplying the Central State University campus; it switched solely to natural gas in 1996.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.004507-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/03001099.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001099/a81aab3263-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03001099/a81aab3263-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C.N._%26_I._Department_Power_House_from_southwest.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C.N._%26_I._Department_Power_House_from_southwest.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988754","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112690706"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/greene-county/c-n-and-i-department-power-house-03001099/"}