{"nrhp_refnum":"74001601","name":"Aurora Center Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly both sides of OH 306 from and including Pioneer Trail to Rte. 82, also Maple Lane","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aurora","county":"Portage County","state":"OH","lat":41.31471902200005,"lon":-81.34759320276476,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-06-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential township-center historic district of about 21.5 acres in Aurora, Portage County, Ohio, along Chillicothe Road (State Routes 306 and 43), Maple Lane and Pioneer Trail. It includes twenty houses, two general stores, a church and a fire station, mostly built between 1826 and 1900.","why_significant":"The district preserves the character of a nineteenth century residential street in a prosperous mercantile center. Aurora was an important trade center, especially for making and shipping cheese. The houses belonged to prominent early families, and several buildings are of notable architectural quality and good examples of their styles.","narrative":"Aurora Center is the residential heart of Aurora Township in Portage County, Ohio. The district covers about 21.5 acres along Chillicothe Road, Maple Lane and Pioneer Trail and holds twenty houses, two general stores, a church and a fire station. Most buildings are Greek and Gothic Revival homes from the mid-nineteenth century, with Adam, Federal, Italianate and Queen Anne examples as well. The oldest notable house, a Federal brick home on Pioneer Trail, was built by Alanson Baldwin in 1826. The Church in Aurora, a frame High Victorian Gothic building dedicated in 1872, imitates brick forms. The township was a significant mercantile center, known especially for making and shipping cheese, with mills and factories located separately at Aurora Depot. Homes here belonged to families named in early histories, including the Baldwins, Egglestons, Harmons and Hurds. The district was recognized because it keeps the look of a prosperous nineteenth century town street, with many buildings of good architectural quality.","period_of_significance":"1826-1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mixed nineteenth century styles: Adam, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and High Victorian Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and altered; the district is occupied and in commercial, government, private residence and religious use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.271013-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/74001601.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001601/8cbbc8571b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001601/8cbbc8571b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_and_town_hall_in_Aurora.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_and_town_hall_in_Aurora.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990985","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Center_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14716362"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/portage-county/aurora-center-historic-district-74001601/"}