{"nrhp_refnum":"79002711","name":"Lersch, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"121 Harrison St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elyria","county":"Lorain County","state":"OH","lat":41.372667447000026,"lon":-82.10546737399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-08-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Italianate house on the south side of Harrison Street near Washington Avenue in Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio, begun in 1867 with an interior dating to about 1890.","why_significant":"The inventory form describes the house as having a highly significant Italianate exterior and a Queen Anne interior. It was built for Sheldon Cole, then sold to John Lersch, a prominent Elyria store owner, who finished it with some changes. The interior has fine woodwork, elaborate fireplaces and stained and leaded glass windows.","narrative":"Set on a very large lot on Harrison Street in Elyria, this two-story brick house dates from 1867, with interior work added around 1890. It has a sandstone foundation, a hip roof of composition material, a T-shaped plan and an ornate porch with a decorative cornice. It was begun for Sheldon Cole, but was sold before completion to John Lersch, a prominent Elyria store owner, who finished it with some changes. The house was originally meant to face Washington Avenue, but that land was later sold and modern apartments were built there. The apartments are screened from view, yet they block what was intended as the main facade. Inside, the later interior shows Queen Anne character, with fine woodwork, several elaborate fireplaces, and stained and leaded glass windows. The Italianate exterior and Queen Anne interior are the main reasons given for its significance. The form records the house as in excellent condition and still in use as a residence, and notes that rezoning for apartments could threaten it.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate (exterior); Queen Anne interior","criteria":[],"status_note":"Interior and exterior condition listed as excellent; used as a house. The form warns that rezoning for apartments may endanger it.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.543808-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79002711.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002711/33b1617c56-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002711/33b1617c56-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Lersch_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Lersch_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985706","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138497269"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lorain-county/lersch-john-house-79002711/"}