Newark Downtown Historic District

Downtown Newark, Ohio, is organized around Courthouse Square, a four-acre green park laid out on the Harrisonburg plan, with the 1876 Second Empire Licking County Courthouse at its center. The historic district takes in 96 buildings on the north, west and south sides of the square and along nearby stretches of Main, Third, Fourth and Second Streets. Most are commercial blocks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built in Italianate, Second Empire, Neo-classical and other styles. Notable examples include the 1870 First National Bank, the 1928 Midland Theater, and the 1914 bank at 1 North Third Street designed by Louis Sullivan. The district reflects Newark's rapid growth after 1870, fueled by railroads, the Ohio Canal, natural gas and large industries such as stove, glass and rail car manufacturing. Several buildings were listed individually before the district was recognized, though the east side of the square has lost its historic buildings to modern replacements.