{"nrhp_refnum":"79001841","name":"Shepard Street School","other_names":["Gahanna Nursing Home","Olde Gahanna Schoolhouse"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"106 Short St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gahanna","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":40.02047413500003,"lon":-82.87688051699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story red brick schoolhouse at 106 Short Street in Gahanna, Franklin County, Ohio, built in 1889 with a 1918 addition. F. L. Packard designed it and Siegel & Ganz built it.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine, sparsely ornamented example of late 19th century schoolhouse architecture with Victorian influence. It was also a focal point for Gahanna, hosting town meetings and educating many local leaders. Residents petitioned to save it from demolition in the 1970s.","narrative":"Built in 1889 by the Gahanna Special School District, the Shepard Street School is a red brick schoolhouse on one of the highest points in Old Gahanna. F. L. Packard designed it and Siegel & Ganz built it. It originally held four classrooms, with an auditorium and principal's office upstairs. A 55-foot square bell tower forms a landmark, and the auditorium hosted town meetings called together by the school bell. In 1918 a two-story, two-room wing was added, giving the front a nearly symmetrical look. After a new high school opened in 1928, the building served as an elementary school until 1948. It became a thirty-bed nursing home in 1950, operating until 1975. Facing possible demolition under zoning rules after a 1976 sale, it was saved with help from residents' petitions. The interior was then being converted to offices, with 12-foot ceilings and 1918 metal ceiling panels kept. Its restrained ornament is cited as typical of 19th century schoolhouse design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"F. L. Packard - Architect; Siegel & Ganz - Contractors","architectural_style":"Late 19th century schoolhouse with Victorian influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Being remodeled into offices at the time of nomination; formerly a school (to 1948) and a nursing home (1950-1975). Described as in excellent or good condition and altered.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.135699-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79001841.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001841/91e160b67e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001841/91e160b67e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Wdzinc","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gahanna_ohio_shepard_street_school.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Wdzinc</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:Gahanna_ohio_shepard_street_school.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988579","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130900894"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/shepard-street-school-79001841/"}