{"nrhp_refnum":"71000652","name":"Tallmadge Town Square Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tallmadge","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.281383223000034,"lon":-81.44260563099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district centered on the oval Public Square in Tallmadge, Summit County, Ohio, laid out about 1807 by the Reverend David Bacon. It includes the First Congregational Church (completed 1825) and the 1859 Greek Revival Town Hall and academy.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the Square and its two original buildings are the best Western Reserve example of New England architecture and town planning transplanted to Ohio. They also illustrate the close ties between church, state and education among Congregationalist settlers. The eight-road radial township plan is described as unique to Ohio and rare in the nation.","narrative":"Tallmadge's central green in Summit County, Ohio, is an oval Public Square laid out around 1807 by the Reverend David Bacon as the hub of a township plan. Eight roads run to it like spokes of a wheel, so that every road would lead to the meeting house. The square once covered about 7.5 acres, but highway incursions reduced it to roughly 3. Two buildings stand on it. The First Congregational Church, designed by Lemuel Porter and completed in 1825, is a white clapboard Connecticut-type Federal building with a four-column portico and a 100-foot steeple. The Town Hall and academy, built in 1859, is a two-story Greek Revival structure with pilasters and pediments. The district was listed as a leading Western Reserve example of New England architecture and governance carried to Ohio, reflecting the close relationship of church, state and education among the Congregationalist settlers. Both buildings had recently ceased their original uses when nominated and were in need of repair.","period_of_significance":"1809-1859","architect_builder":"Lemuel Porter (church); Reverend David Bacon (Square and township plan)","architectural_style":"Connecticut-type Federal (church); Greek Revival (town hall)","criteria":[],"status_note":"At nomination, the church was in fair condition with a steeple in poor condition, and the town hall was in poor repair. Both had been abandoned for their original purposes, with the church slated to become a State Memorial and the town hall a local history museum.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.45887-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/71000652.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991589","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/tallmadge-town-square-historic-district-71000652/"}