Clark, Dr., House
Why it's listed
This two-story brick house at 21 North Main Street in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, was built around the 1870s by Dr. Clark, a prominent and wealthy local physician. It rests on a coursed stone foundation and has a three-bay facade with a side-hall entry, double entry doors, segmental arched openings with stone hoodmolds, and a bracketed cornice with round frieze windows. A side porch with Ionic posts was added later. A board and batten garage sits to the rear. The house was listed because it reflects the village's period of greatest growth, from 1870 to 1900, when professionals were drawn to town. At least five doctors practiced in Mechanicsburg then, and several built fine homes along North Main Street. The house is considered one of the best surviving Italianate residences in the village and keeps the features most typical of the style. It stands next to the commercial district, at the start of the residential stretch of North Main.
Significance in brief: The nomination finds it meets Criteria A and C. It represents Mechanicsburg's period of greatest growth (1870-1900), when professionals such as doctors built fine homes along North Main Street. It is also described as one of the best surviving examples of Italianate residential architecture in the village.
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 85001879, listed August 29, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 21 N. Main St., Mechanicsburg |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | August 29, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001879 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Built by Dr. Clark; architect and contractor not known |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a residence; exterior condition described as good, with original character and integrity retained. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.07232, -83.55677 (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.
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 85001879.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6236754
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.