{"nrhp_refnum":"78002190","name":"Sidney Waterworks And Electric Light Building","other_names":["Kah Electric Plant at Sidney"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"121 N. Brooklyn Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sidney","county":"Shelby County","state":"OH","lat":40.286654386000066,"lon":-84.14839008799999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Architecture","Invention"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-level brick and limestone waterworks plant at 121 N. Brooklyn Avenue in Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio, beside the Miami River. The water system was installed in 1873 and the building was later used as a hydroelectric plant.","why_significant":"The building was one of the early municipal waterworks in the region, built when Sidney chose to supply raw water to about 5,600 residents. It retains a 1900 Trump Water Wheel from its later hydroelectric use, which may be the only such machinery still in its original setting. The Miami River facade is also cited as architecturally significant.","narrative":"Overlooking the Miami River at 121 N. Brooklyn Avenue in Sidney, this four-level building began as the town's first waterworks. After a public vote in 1872, the Holly Manufacturing Company of Lockport, New York, drew up the plans. The system, with four piston pumps and two Leffel wheels, went into service on September 9, 1873. Pipes were laid by hand by a crew of 50 men. The walls are common-bond brick on limestone lower levels, and the river facade has three round-arched windows. The upper floors served as living quarters, while the lower levels held machinery. The city later built a new plant, and the old one passed to Louis Kah, who ran a small hydroelectric operation. A Trump Water Wheel, patented in 1900, was installed during that period and remains in place. Local officials discussed turning the building into a waterworks museum, meeting room and office space.","period_of_significance":"1873","architect_builder":"Holly Manufacturing Co., Lockport, N.Y. prepared the plans and specifications for the water works system; Trump Manufacturing Co., Springfield, Ohio made the 1900 water wheel.","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is marked fair. The city held an option to purchase the building, and the county historical society planned to acquire it for a possible museum and community meeting space.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.329996-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002190.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002190/36b7239f5e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002190/36b7239f5e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sidney_Waterworks_and_Electric_Light_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sidney_Waterworks_and_Electric_Light_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991319","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Waterworks_and_Electric_Light_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7509406"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/shelby-county/sidney-waterworks-and-electric-light-building-78002190/"}