{"nrhp_refnum":"87001248","name":"Duane Block","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"387--401 Broadway","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lorain","county":"Lorain County","state":"OH","lat":41.46743421100007,"lon":-82.17671279699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-07-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial and apartment building at 387-401 Broadway in downtown Lorain, Ohio, completed in 1906 and designed by architect Hamilton E. Ford.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it housed some of Lorain's leading department stores and reflects the city's turn-of-the-century industrial wealth through its elaborate design. It is also one of the few surviving works of early Lorain architect Hamilton E. Ford and one of few downtown buildings to come through the 1924 tornado relatively unscathed.","narrative":"Built in 1906 on Broadway in downtown Lorain, the Duane Block combines two street-level storefronts with ten apartments on the upper floors. Its facade uses warm orange brick and local sandstone trim, with Corinthian pilasters, projecting bay windows with cast iron spandrels, and an ornate cornice. The most striking feature is an interior courtyard lit by a skylight, with a wooden staircase, tiled floor, purple marble wainscot and frosted apartment windows. Early tenants included the Metzger and Robinson Clothing Company and Bretz's Books and Music, and later Hageman Shoe and Bond Clothing. Construction cost rose from a planned $45,000 to over $50,000, reflecting wealth from the city's factories and shipyards. The building was designed by Hamilton E. Ford, whose other downtown Lorain commercial blocks have been demolished. It also survived the 1924 tornado that destroyed much of downtown. Although the storefronts have been altered, the structure remains sound and the upper floors retain their original character.","period_of_significance":"1900-1999 (specific date 1906)","architect_builder":"Hamilton E. Ford","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in good condition, though altered; the storefronts have been marred by newer businesses and their interiors are badly damaged, while the building remains structurally sound.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:15.098628-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/87001248.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001248/b970481848-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001248/b970481848-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Chris Light (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duane_Block_P2160048.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Light (talk)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duane_Block_P2160048.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100007496","name":"Broadway Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/broadway-historic-district-100007496/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989807","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138511984"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lorain-county/duane-block-87001248/"}