Williams, Dr. Issac Elmer, House And Office
Also known as: 407-411 North Main Street Doctor's House and Office
Why it's listed
At 407-411 North Main Street in St. Marys, a large frame Queen Anne house and a separate doctor's office sit on lots raised 8-10 feet above the street. Dr. Issac Elmer Williams built both in 1903. The house has multiple gables with imbricated shingles, a Palladian window, a two-story bay with carved vergeboard, and a wrap-around porch on Doric pillars. Original floors, stairway and woodwork survive inside. The L-shaped, five-room office keeps its drug room with shelves and drawers, a reminder of when doctors dispensed most prescriptions. A sleeping room built about 1908-09 bridges the two buildings at the second story. Williams graduated from medical school in 1892, began practice in St. Marys that year, and served the area until retiring in 1942. The property was listed for its largely unaltered architecture and for what it shows about a small-town doctor's practice around 1900. At nomination it was vacant and threatened by development pressure from nearby highways.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house and office are architecturally significant as a unique combination that remains basically unaltered inside and out. They also reflect the early 1900s idea of service by a medical professional in a rural small town. Reviewers described it as a fine example of a late Queen Anne residence of a small-town doctor.
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 79001785, listed May 8, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 407--411 N. Main St., St. Marys |
|---|---|
| County | Auglaize County |
| Listed | May 8, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001785 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Dr. Issac Elmer Williams (built for his own residence) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant for 7-8 years at time of nomination; condition fair, needing paint and attention. The owner planned rehabilitation for rental use. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.54554, -84.39259 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 79001785.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5304164
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.