{"nrhp_refnum":"07000028","name":"West Fourth Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"1-35, 2-18 W. Fourth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.09982267300006,"lon":-84.51341034899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-02-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A boundary increase to the West Fourth Street Historic District in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, extending it one block east to Vine Street. It covers eight contributing and one noncontributing commercial buildings along West Fourth Street, built between 1856 and 1916, plus a 1913 office tower.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the added buildings include some of Cincinnati's most significant commercial architecture from the mid-19th to early 20th century. They include the city's second-tallest skyscraper, two rare 19th-century department store buildings and an elaborate Rookwood tile storefront. Their inclusion gives a fuller picture of the architectural and commercial development of the Fourth Street shopping district.","narrative":"This addition to the West Fourth Street Historic District in downtown Cincinnati moves the boundary one block east to Vine Street. It takes in a group of commercial buildings along West Fourth, built from 1856 to 1916, along with a 1913 office tower. Facades of brick, cut stone, terra cotta and art tile show Renaissance Revival, Commercial Queen Anne, Tudor Revival and Beaux-Arts Classical styles. Highlights include the Union Central Life Insurance Building, designed by Cass Gilbert and the city's second-tallest skyscraper at 495 feet. Also included are the Shillito/McAlpin's building, a rare mid-19th-century department store, and the Woodruff/Gidding Building, whose 1907 storefront of Rookwood tile was restored in 2003. Fourth Street has long been regarded as the heart of downtown, and these buildings preserve its dense, pedestrian-scaled streetwall. The addition was proposed to give a more complete account of the street's architecture and its role as the city's premier shopping and financial district.","period_of_significance":"1856-1930","architect_builder":"Rapp, Zettel & Rapp; Walter & Wilson; Frank Andrews; Daniel Burnham; Cass Gilbert with Garber & Woodward; James W. McLaughlin; Gustave Drach","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Renaissance; Late Victorian: Eclectic; Late Victorian: Queen Anne; Tudor Revival; Beaux Arts","criteria":[],"status_note":"Most buildings have been in continuous use since construction. The Union Central Life building currently houses offices and ground-floor retail, and the Rookwood tile façade of 10 West Fourth was restored in 2003.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.170011-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/07000028.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000028/e5357f4c38-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000028/e5357f4c38-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Fourth_Street_Historic_District.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Fourth_Street_Historic_District.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988961","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Fourth_Street_Historic_District_(Cincinnati,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7985186"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/west-fourth-street-historic-district-boundary-increase-07000028/"}