Lima Village Historic District
Why it's listed
Lima's historic core centers on Four Corners, where East Main Street meets Rochester Street in Livingston County. The district covers about eight acres and 21 properties, including attached brick commercial blocks, a brick Presbyterian church, a former library and jail, and seven frame houses on large landscaped lots. Fires in 1858 and 1865 prompted rebuilding, and the American Hotel was reconstructed in 1861-62 as a three-story Greek Revival building, a late example of that style. The nomination suggests that the conservatism of the local seminary slowed the arrival of Italianate design, so Lima's architecture lagged behind comparable villages. Stores on the south side of East Main Street form the earliest surviving intact commercial group in the village. The church, completed around 1873, combines Romanesque Revival arches with Italianate and Queen Anne details. Nearby streets with heavily altered buildings were left out, so the district contains the most intact historic streetscape in Lima.
Significance in brief: The district holds the last intact, contiguous historic architecture in a village that once spread over several blocks around Four Corners. Its brick commercial blocks, such as the 1861-62 American Hotel, are late Greek Revival examples that reflect Lima's conservative building tastes. The church, civic buildings and large Rochester Street houses show the village's commercial, religious and residential life.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87002042, listed November 20, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1881--1885 & 1818--1870 Rochester St., Lima Presbyterian Church, 7304--7312 & 7303--7315 E. Main St., Lima |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | November 20, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87002042 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | John Mosher (rebuilt the American Hotel in 1861) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent to good, with some alterations. The American Hotel still operates as a boarding facility and restaurant. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 42.90471, -77.61150 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87002042.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6548840
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.