{"nrhp_refnum":"78002002","name":"Harwood Block","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"246, 250, 256 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Conneaut","county":"Ashtabula County","state":"OH","lat":41.94414044800004,"lon":-80.55572721799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story High Victorian Italianate commercial block with a cast iron front at 246, 250 and 256 Main Street in Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio, built around 1889 by Amherst Harwood.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the principal and most imposing building in downtown Conneaut, and says that apart from the first floor it remains much as built. Its third-floor opera house was a major stop for touring companies between Buffalo and Cleveland. The cast iron front, made in Chicago and shipped by rail, adds to its architectural interest.","narrative":"Built around 1889 by Amherst Harwood, this three-story painted brick commercial block on Main Street in Conneaut is a High Victorian Italianate landmark with a cast iron storefront. The iron front was made in Chicago and shipped on the Nickel Plate Railway. With no installation instructions, the street was roped off and the pieces were assembled there before being attached to the building. Corinthian-style colonettes, guilloche bands, circular medallions and a bracketed cornice lettered HARWOOD BLOCK decorate the upper floors. The ground level was always three storefronts, with the A.W. Pelton department store in the center and part of the second floor. The third floor served as an opera house from 1889 to 1903, a major stop for touring companies between Buffalo and Cleveland. It later became drill space for Company L of the Ohio National Guard and then a dance hall. Apart from the altered first floor, the building is described as little changed, and it was considered the most imposing in downtown Conneaut.","period_of_significance":"1889","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"High Victorian Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition and occupied; the department store has closed and a new commercial use is hoped for, while the opera house is scheduled for refurbishing as a community center.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.13854-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002002.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002002/5df087e300-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002002/5df087e300-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Publichall","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harwood_Block_-_Conneaut,_Ohio.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Publichall</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:Harwood_Block_-_Conneaut,_Ohio.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986683","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137598578"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/ashtabula-county/harwood-block-78002002/"}