{"nrhp_refnum":"83004292","name":"Orton Memorial Laboratory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1445 Summit St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.99234749400006,"lon":-83.00178869499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick laboratory and manufacturing building at 1445 Summit Street in Columbus, Ohio, in the University District near Ohio State University. The original building dates to 1929, with two-story additions in 1956 and 1962.","why_significant":"The nomination ties the building to Edward Orton, Jr., who perfected the standard pyrometric cone in 1896 and advanced ceramic research and teaching. It is also significant architecturally as an industrial building designed to blend into a residential neighborhood with classical ornament, and as work of Columbus architect Howard Dwight Smith.","narrative":"Built in 1929 at 1445 Summit Street in Columbus, this three-story brick building housed the pyrometric cone manufacturing and ceramic research work of Edward Orton, Jr. Orton had helped establish Ohio State University's ceramics department in the 1890s and perfected the standard pyrometric cone in 1896, giving industry a reliable way to measure kiln temperatures. His company supplied about ninety-five percent of cones used in the United States. Architect Howard Dwight Smith, who had worked for John Russell Pope, designed the laboratory with classical details so it would fit among neighboring houses. Terra cotta lamps, festoons, medallions and patera decorate a two-story Corinthian portico and the sides, while brick quoins and spandrels show other ceramic uses. Two-story additions followed in 1956 and 1962. After Orton died in 1932, a foundation created by his will continued cone production and research at the site until 1981. The building is valued for both Orton's legacy and Smith's design.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates 1929, 1956, 1962)","architect_builder":"Howard Dwight Smith, Architect","architectural_style":"Neo-classical Revival influence","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in excellent condition, altered by later additions; the ceramic foundation moved out in 1981 and the building is now occupied by a telecommunications firm.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.016459-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/83004292.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004292/19a06f05d7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004292/19a06f05d7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Hawk9698","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orton_Memorial_Laboratory,_1445_Summit,_Columbus,_OH.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Hawk9698</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orton_Memorial_Laboratory,_1445_Summit,_Columbus,_OH.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988513","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orton_Memorial_Laboratory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96397774"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/orton-memorial-laboratory-83004292/"}