Worthington Historic District
Why it's listed
Worthington's historic district preserves the village planned in 1802, before its first settlers left New England for Ohio. The plan follows a New England model: a central village green, land set aside for a school and church, and individual lots for sale. Streets form a grid bounded by North, South, Morning and Evening Streets, with High Street and Granville Road crossing at the Green. Buildings date from the first decade of the 19th century through the early 1960s and include the Gothic Revival St. John's Episcopal Church, the Georgian Revival Presbyterian Church and former library, the 1820 Masonic Lodge and the mansard-roofed Worthington Inn. High Street serves as the commercial spine, while surrounding blocks hold houses from many eras, including post-war ranch and Cape Cod homes. The district reflects the town's shift from frontier village to farm market center to Columbus suburb, and it records a local habit of moving historic buildings to save them from development.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1803-early 1960s (described as about 150 years) |
|---|---|
| Styles | Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Shingle Style, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Acreage | 195 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Worthington Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.