{"nrhp_refnum":"05000031","name":"Gould Block","other_names":["Kline's Department Store","Lor-526-16"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"608-630 Broadway Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lorain","county":"Lorain County","state":"OH","lat":41.465421511000045,"lon":-82.17535916499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-02-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story commercial building at 608-630 Broadway Avenue in Lorain, Ohio, completed in 1928 with a brick addition in the 1930s. It is clad in terra cotta and brick, was designed by T. Ralph Ridley, and was built by L.A. Burgett.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an important surviving example of Renaissance Revival commercial architecture in downtown Lorain, with ornate polychromatic terra cotta. It also symbolizes Lorain's commercial recovery after the 1924 tornado and a 1928 fire. It housed Kline's Department Store, long the largest retailer in Lorain County, and J.C. Penney.","narrative":"Located at 608-630 Broadway Avenue in downtown Lorain, Ohio, this commercial block was built in 1928 for Joseph Gould, with a brick addition added in the 1930s. Architect T. Ralph Ridley of Akron designed it, and L.A. Burgett of Lorain built it. Its Broadway and 6th Street fronts are covered in soft-white terra cotta, tinted in greens and blues, with pilasters, finials, cartouches and classical cornices. It replaced the Century Building, which burned in March 1928, at a time when the city was still recovering from the 1924 tornado. Kline's Department Store opened in the northern section in November 1928 and was the largest department store in Lorain County until the late 1970s. J.C. Penney occupied the southern section. The building was listed for its Renaissance Revival architecture and for its role in the city's commercial revival. Although the storefronts were altered in 1981, the terra cotta and upper windows remain.","period_of_significance":"1928-1954","architect_builder":"T. Ralph Ridley - Akron, Ohio, Architect; L.A. Burgett - Lorain, Ohio, Builder","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival Architecture","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently in commercial use as a specialty store (furniture) and warehouse, with offices on the second floor. The 1981 storefront alterations partly cover the terra cotta, which is intact and restorable.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.772868-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/05000031.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000031/406acd4f21-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000031/406acd4f21-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"N8hawk","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gould_Block.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">N8hawk</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gould_Block.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100007496","name":"Broadway Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/broadway-historic-district-100007496/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989859","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138508632"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lorain-county/gould-block-05000031/"}