{"nrhp_refnum":"75001459","name":"Amherst Town Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"206 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Amherst","county":"Lorain County","state":"OH","lat":41.39845337200006,"lon":-82.22720688299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2-1/2 story sandstone town hall at 206 South Main Street in Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio, built in 1884 by local craftsmen from nearby quarries. James Nichol was in charge of construction.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a good example of a small town public building with fine stonework. It honors local craftsmen and the sandstone industry, the area's earliest form of employment. It also served as the civic center of the community, with an auditorium used for political rallies and stage productions.","narrative":"Built in 1884 of local sandstone, this 2-1/2 story town hall at 206 South Main Street in Amherst, Ohio, sits on a raised stone foundation. Its three-bay front has a round-arched entrance flanked by Corinthian-capped pilasters, with TOWN HALL carved in raised letters above and an open bell tower with corner turrets. The building has rounded corners, carved wooden brackets under the cornice, and an octagonal cupola that once held a bell to summon firemen. Amherst called itself the Sandstone Center of the World, and the hall is regarded as a monument to local quarry craftsmen and the sandstone industry. The Harris family donated the land, and the township and the city of North Amherst paid $2,000 for construction, overseen by James Nichol. The auditorium hosted political rallies and stage shows. The building still houses city government and the police station, while plans call for restoring the neglected auditorium, possibly as a local history museum, cultural center or library.","period_of_significance":"1884","architect_builder":"James Nichol (in charge of construction)","architectural_style":"Eclectic","criteria":[],"status_note":"In use as city government offices and police station; the auditorium portion has been neglected, with restoration planned. Condition marked good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.059091-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/75001459.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001459/55de5f0e13-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001459/55de5f0e13-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"w_lemay","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City_Hall,_Amherst,_OH_-_52305288549.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">w_lemay</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City_Hall,_Amherst,_OH_-_52305288549.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989841","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst_Town_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4746049"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lorain-county/amherst-town-hall-75001459/"}