{"nrhp_refnum":"73001519","name":"Bellville Bandstand","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"North Bellville Municipal Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bellville","county":"Richland County","state":"OH","lat":40.620268932000045,"lon":-82.50793641499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-11-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wooden octagonal bandstand in North Bellville Municipal Park, Bellville, Richland County, Ohio, built in July and August 1879 and designed by William Lash.","why_significant":"The nomination cites the bandstand's architecture, a High Victorian Gothic and Italianate design with gazebo-like detailing by a carpenter-gardener turned architect. It has been in constant public use since its dedication on September 10, 1879, and is thought by most people to be the finest extant bandstand in Ohio. Residents regard it as the architectural focal point of the town.","narrative":"Set in North Bellville Municipal Park, this octagonal wooden bandstand is about twelve feet across and roughly twenty feet tall. Built in July and August 1879 and dedicated on September 10 of that year, it came about through the efforts of local citizens and the town council. William Lash designed it. He was a gardener and carpenter originally from Bellville who worked for a Cleveland florist family, and his mixed background likely explains its gazebo-like look. The structure is described as High Victorian Gothic and Italianate, with arched openings, gingerbread lattice work, scroll brackets with pendants, a conical metal roof, and a paneled cupola topped by an eagle finial. The original wood base was replaced in recent decades with a concrete block foundation and slab floor. Residents consider it the architectural focal point of town, and it has been in constant use since dedication, including summer ice cream socials. Most people consider it the finest surviving bandstand in Ohio.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (built July and August 1879)","architect_builder":"William Lash (designer)","architectural_style":"High Victorian Gothic and Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition and in constant public use; summer ice cream socials are held there on Saturday nights. The original wood base was replaced with a concrete block foundation and slab floor.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.963297-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001519.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001519/bcfa6ff67e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001519/bcfa6ff67e-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"User:OHWiki","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bellville_Bandstand.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:OHWiki</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bellville_Bandstand.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991118","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138657525"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/richland-county/bellville-bandstand-73001519/"}