{"nrhp_refnum":"04000712","name":"Bedford Historic District","other_names":["Village of Bedford","Bedford on Tinkers Creek"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Willis St., Franklin St., Broadway Ave., and columbus Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bedford","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.391047470000046,"lon":-81.53490909268731,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-07-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late 19th and early 20th century commercial and civic district in the center of Bedford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, along Broadway, the public square and part of Tarbell Avenue. It has 28 contributing and 10 noncontributing resources, including commercial blocks, houses, churches and railroad depots.","why_significant":"The district grew up around Tinker's Creek industry, the Cleveland to Pittsburgh stagecoach route and several railroads, and became a commercial and transportation center known for chairmaking. After the 1893 fire, the business district was rebuilt in brick, giving it a cohesive small-town character. It also holds a public square given in 1836 and buildings tied to local history, including the Underground Railroad and the railroad depots.","narrative":"Bedford's historic center is a small-town district built along Broadway, the public square and part of Tarbell Avenue in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It developed around the waterpower of Tinker's Creek, the stagecoach road between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and later railroad lines. Most commercial buildings are one-part or two-part brick blocks that meet the sidewalk, many rebuilt after a fire in 1893 destroyed wooden storefronts. The district also includes the Dunham House, built in 1832 in the Federal style, Queen Anne and Craftsman houses on Broadway's south side, a Baptist church of 1892, and a Second Empire township hall of 1874. The square, deeded for public use in 1836, is crossed by railroad rights of way and has two depots, one restored in 1987-1989. Chairmaking made Bedford well known nationally. Although car lots and strip development replaced some older buildings, enough historic fabric survives to convey the village's character as a commercial and transportation center.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Commercial Style, Bungalow/Craftsman, Art Deco","criteria":[],"status_note":"Many buildings have had facade alterations but retain enough character; several historic houses now serve commercial or institutional uses, and the 1852 depot is noncontributing for lost integrity. The Connotton Valley depot was restored in 1987-1989.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.396792-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/04000712.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987584","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/bedford-historic-district-04000712/"}