{"nrhp_refnum":"80003213","name":"Huber, Dr. H., Block","other_names":["Medlaw, Inc. Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St. and Taft Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ottawa","county":"Putnam County","state":"OH","lat":41.01930031100005,"lon":-84.04815341499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Victorian Italianate commercial building at Main Street and Taft Avenue in Ottawa, Putnam County, Ohio, built in 1882-1883 and also known as the Medlaw, Inc. Building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the block is architecturally important as an excellent reminder of the late-1800s building boom that transformed small county-seat main streets into brick business blocks. It retains much of its original exterior and was unaltered by the downtown remodeling that changed nearby storefronts. It also has local ties to Dr. Hubert Huber, whose drugstore operated there for nearly 75 years.","narrative":"Three stories of brick commercial architecture stand at Main Street and Taft Avenue in Ottawa, Ohio, built in 1882-1883 in the Victorian Italianate style. The facade features paired segmental arched windows with decorated hoodmoulds, an iron balcony on the second floor, two storefronts with recessed entrances, and a boxed cornice with modillions, dentils, carved brackets and corner finials. The east side faces the railroad tracks and repeats the window detailing. The building reflects the period when growing rural communities replaced modest frame stores with elaborate brick business blocks, often funded by merchants who prospered through the railroads. An early photograph in the 1895 county atlas indicates that much of the original exterior survives, and it escaped the downtown remodeling that altered nearby storefronts. Dr. Hubert Huber, a physician born in Germany, opened a drugstore here that operated for nearly 75 years. Apartments occupied the second floor, and the Knights of Columbus used the third-floor lodge hall for over 75 years. Rehabilitation for a fitness center was planned.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1882-1883)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Victorian Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied; the first floor is office space and exercise rooms, with rehabilitation planned for a physical fitness center while preserving the exterior.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.604572-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80003213.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003213/ed8a474bff-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003213/ed8a474bff-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr._H._Huber_Block.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr._H._Huber_Block.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991072","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._H._Huber_Block","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5304129"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/putnam-county/huber-dr-h-block-80003213/"}