{"nrhp_refnum":"94000772","name":"Bradford Shoe Company Building","other_names":["Neilston Building","Fra-2806-18"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"232 Neilston","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.967966121000075,"lon":-82.99463731999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-07-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story, flat-roofed brick industrial building at 232 Neilston Avenue in northeastern downtown Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, built in three stages: the eastern third before 1899, a middle section between 1899 and 1910, and the western section around 1910.","why_significant":"The building is the only home of the Bradford Shoe Company, considered one of Columbus's most successful local enterprises of the early 20th century. It also represents the light industrial and warehousing operations that once filled the northeastern part of downtown. It is one of a dwindling number of such resources.","narrative":"Located at 232 Neilston Avenue in northeastern downtown Columbus, this four-story brick industrial building was assembled from three separate sections. The oldest, at the east end, predates 1899 and has wood framing. A middle section of paving brick followed before 1910. The western section, built around 1910, has a concrete frame, steel industrial windows, a shaped parapet and a concrete panel bearing the company name. Inside, heavy timbers, wood floors and top-floor skylights provide open, well-lit work space. The Bradford Shoe Company, founded in 1908 by Columbus native Frank Bradford, grew from a frame building on the site into all three sections, which it joined into one. Bradford died in 1920, and family members ran the firm until it disbanded in 1926. The building is significant for its link to this successful local manufacturer and as a surviving example of the wholesaling and light manufacturing district that once surrounded it. The building is recorded as vacant.","period_of_significance":"1908-1926","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other/industrial","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use. After the shoe company closed, the building housed various light manufacturing and warehouse uses.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.040315-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/94000772.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000772/cac3a8f7cb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000772/cac3a8f7cb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradford_Shoe_Company_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradford_Shoe_Company_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988601","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Shoe_Company_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104213399"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/bradford-shoe-company-building-94000772/"}