Downtown Mount Vernon Historic District

Downtown Mount Vernon, in Knox County, Ohio, is a commercial district of 75 buildings, three structures and two sites, arranged around the Public Square and along South Main, High, Vine, Gambier, South Gay and South Mulberry streets and Ohio Avenue. Of these, 63 resources contribute to the district and 15 do not. Most buildings are two- to four-story brick blocks with ground-floor storefronts and offices or apartments above. Italianate influence is common, with Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Art Deco and Colonial Revival examples also present. Notable resources include the 1932-1934 Georgian Revival post office, the 1908 G. A. Jones Block, the 1924 Elks Club, the 1963 Colonial Revival City Hall, a railroad freight depot, an 1892 stone-arch viaduct over the Kokosing River and two railroad truss bridges. The district is recognized as the commercial and social center of Mount Vernon and much of central Ohio from 1829 to 1963. Despite altered storefronts and replaced windows, it retains its overall integrity.