Bedford Historic District

Bedford's historic center is a small-town district built along Broadway, the public square and part of Tarbell Avenue in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It developed around the waterpower of Tinker's Creek, the stagecoach road between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and later railroad lines. Most commercial buildings are one-part or two-part brick blocks that meet the sidewalk, many rebuilt after a fire in 1893 destroyed wooden storefronts. The district also includes the Dunham House, built in 1832 in the Federal style, Queen Anne and Craftsman houses on Broadway's south side, a Baptist church of 1892, and a Second Empire township hall of 1874. The square, deeded for public use in 1836, is crossed by railroad rights of way and has two depots, one restored in 1987-1989. Chairmaking made Bedford well known nationally. Although car lots and strip development replaced some older buildings, enough historic fabric survives to convey the village's character as a commercial and transportation center.