{"nrhp_refnum":"79002717","name":"Ely Block","other_names":["Ely's Block and Merthe's","Commercial Block"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N side of Broad St. between Washington and East Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elyria","county":"Lorain County","state":"OH","lat":41.367878364000035,"lon":-82.10706030099999,"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 three-story Italianate brick commercial block built in 1873 on the north side of Broad Street, between Lodi Street and Washington Avenue, facing the public square in Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a highly significant Italianate commercial block and one of the city's major visual landmarks. It replaced an earlier block built by Herman Ely, founder of Elyria, and once housed a museum, lodge halls and the public library. It also holds a prominent location facing the public square.","narrative":"Ely Block is a three-story Italianate commercial building constructed in 1873 on the north side of Broad Street in Elyria, between Lodi Street and Washington Avenue. Built of brick on a stone foundation with a flat roof, it has fifteen bays across the front and occupies its entire lot facing the public square. A bold cornice and heavy rounded windows give it a distinctive character. It replaced an earlier block put up by Herman Ely, the founder of Elyria, and was originally owned by the Ely family. Over time the building held museum space, lodge meeting halls and the public library, all of which have since moved elsewhere. The ground floor of the Merthe's space has been remodeled in a harmonious way, while the neighboring Harry's storefront has been modernized. An aluminum-clad building next door once had a facade identical to this one. The building is regarded as one of the city's major visual landmarks.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Exterior condition very good and interior fair; in commercial use. The ground floor at Merthe's has been harmoniously remodeled, while the Harry's facade has been modernized.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.181458-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79002717.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002717/43163031e1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002717/43163031e1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ely_Block_from_southwest.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ely_Block_from_southwest.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"00001663","name":"Elyria Downtown-West Avenue Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/elyria-downtown-west-avenue-historic-district-00001663/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985712","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138497470"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lorain-county/ely-block-79002717/"}