{"nrhp_refnum":"81000446","name":"Monroe Township Hall-Opera House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Johnstown","county":"Licking County","state":"OH","lat":40.15260072600006,"lon":-82.67352869999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-07-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story brick township hall and second-floor opera house at 1 South Main Street, Johnstown, Licking County, Ohio, completed in 1885 and built by the Monroe Township Trustees on the village square.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant architecturally as the most impressive structure in Johnstown, enhanced by its prominent position in the landscaped square. Historically, it has served as the center of community activities, housing village and township offices, an opera house and a library since its construction.","narrative":"Completed in 1885, the Monroe Township Hall-Opera House is a 2½-story brick building on a stone foundation at 1 South Main Street in Johnstown, Ohio. It has a hipped roof with gabled dormers, a pointed-arch entrance beneath a triangular canopy with stone trim, and an arcaded corbel table around the building. It sits in the landscaped square set aside when Dr. Oliver Bigelow platted the village in 1813. In 1884 the village leased the center of the square to the Monroe Township Trustees, who built the hall because the village lacked the funds. The building has housed village and township offices, an opera house and a library. The second-floor opera house remains basically intact, with a painting above the stage and canvas backdrops from about 1924 by Armbruster Sign Company of Columbus. The present cupola is the only exterior alteration, and efforts are under way to rebuild the original. It was listed for its architectural prominence and its role in community life.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1884-1885)","architect_builder":"Elijah Barton","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; the opera house is basically intact. The present cupola is the only exterior alteration, and an effort is underway to locate photographs of the original cupola and rebuild it.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.423156-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/81000446.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000446/ac0ffae6d6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000446/ac0ffae6d6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monroe_Township_Hall-Opera_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monroe_Township_Hall-Opera_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989732","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138460523"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/licking-county/monroe-township-hall-opera-house-81000446/"}