{"nrhp_refnum":"75001452","name":"Gray-Coulton House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8607-8617 Mentor Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mentor","county":"Lake County","state":"OH","lat":41.66988340200004,"lon":-81.33209482199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-12-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-part Italianate commercial and residential building at 8607-15-17 Mentor Avenue in Mentor, Lake County, Ohio, erected in 1867 by Martin Gray, with an old barn, pony shed and privy behind it.","why_significant":"The nomination holds that the building and its outbuildings are Mentor's finest example of the Italianate style. It also has local history value: it was a home, then a flour and seed store and later a general store, and it was photographed during James Garfield's presidential campaign.","narrative":"Built in 1867 by Martin Gray at 8607 Mentor Avenue, this L-shaped brick building began as a residence and soon became a store. Its Italianate character shows in the hipped roof, deep bracketed cornice with modillions, semi-circular molded window arches, a floor-to-ceiling bay window and a carved stone foundation. A barn, pony shed and privy survive behind it. In 1874 William DeLong, then Mayor of Mentor, bought it and converted a wing into a flour and seed store. James Garfield was often photographed in front of the store while campaigning for the presidency. Eugene Case made it a general store in 1896, and Mr. Whitcomb later ran a dry goods and grocery business there. A fire in May 1975 destroyed the roof, and the roof, eaves brackets and window sash were rebuilt, with original material saved wherever possible. The building is listed as Mentor's finest Italianate example.","period_of_significance":"1867","architect_builder":"Martin Gray","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"A fire in May 1975 destroyed the roof; restoration was under way and was projected to finish in March 1976. The building was in use as apartments, offices and a residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.37013-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/75001452.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001452/080a5da63e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001452/080a5da63e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LeeG7144","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray-Coulton_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LeeG7144</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray-Coulton_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989591","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138448085"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lake-county/gray-coulton-house-75001452/"}