Center Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Center Street in Ashland, Ohio, developed as a continuous run of homes and churches stretching about seven blocks south from Town Creek. An earlier district listing left out the first and last blocks. This boundary increase adds nine houses and two churches at the two ends, along with two noncontributing buildings, so the district covers the whole residential stretch. The additions include Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake, Romanesque, American 4-Square and Bungalow examples, built between 1859 and about 1917. The street was laid out in 1846 and was paved and prosperous by the 1890s. These buildings housed or served families of the pump manufacturers, bankers and merchants who drove the town's growth, including the Myers and Freer families. A.N. Myers's house at 408 Center Street and Randolph Freer's brick Italianate house at 313 Center Street are among them. The increase was justified on architectural grounds, with a period of significance of about 1840 to 1929.
Significance in brief: The increase is significant under Criterion C in architecture. It completes the residential neighborhood that housed the industrialists, bankers, physicians, merchants and political figures behind Ashland's growth. The added houses and churches show high-style and vernacular architecture from the 1840s through the 1920s, and they were closely tied to families already living in the existing district.
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 93000397, listed May 6, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Center St. between Town Cr. and Walnut St. and between Samaritan and Morgan Aves., Ashland |
|---|---|
| County | Ashland County |
| Listed | May 6, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000397 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1840 - 1929 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, American 4-Square, Italianate, Romanesque, Stick/Eastlake, Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are in use as homes, apartments, offices, a funeral home, a restaurant, a bed-and-breakfast and churches. Most houses are described as well maintained. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Within district | Center Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.86250, -82.31249 (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 93000397.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.