{"nrhp_refnum":"14000292","name":"High Street Commercial Block (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["Stuass Department Store","Mehrum Building &amp","Lindley Building"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"216-226 High St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hamilton","county":"Butler County","state":"OH","lat":39.39786875400006,"lon":-84.56115394699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2014-05-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A downtown commercial block of three adjoining three-story sandstone-fronted buildings at 228, 232 and 236 High Street in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio, built between 1874 and 1878. The architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination cites Architecture and Commerce as areas of significance, under Criteria A and C. The block shows Italianate and First Renaissance Revival styling and retains much of its historic windows and pressed tin ceilings. Its alterations reflect Hamilton's role as the commercial heart of Butler County.","narrative":"Three connected three-story buildings at 228, 232 and 236 High Street form a commercial block on Hamilton's historic main street. They were built between 1874 and 1878 and have sandstone façades in Italianate and First Renaissance Revival styles. The westernmost, built in 1874 for the Second National Bank, is linked internally to the center Howell-Sohngen Building, built in 1875 for a dry goods store. The eastern Davis-McCrory Building is described as a rare local example of First Renaissance Revival design. Later tenants included grocery, shoe, department and variety stores, and each first floor was altered over time. A metal false front added in the 1950s was removed in 1993, leaving partial cornices. Upper floors keep most original wood and metal windows, plaster walls and pressed tin ceilings, along with a bank vault and traces of skylit atria added around 1902 to 1907. The block was recognized for its architecture and its role in the commercial life of Hamilton and Butler County.","period_of_significance":"1874-1953","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate; First Renaissance Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed current function is vacant. Storefronts are concealed by plywood surrounds, and the false front added in the 1950s was removed in 1993.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.809003-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/04000113.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"16000458","name":"Hamilton Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/hamilton-downtown-historic-district-16000458/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":null,"wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/butler-county/high-street-commercial-block-boundary-increase-14000292/"}