East High Street District
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
East High Street in Springfield, Ohio, holds a group of five houses that together show how architectural taste changed between the 1850s and 1888. The Charles M. Clark House is an altered Italianate residence that may be the oldest. The Rinehart-Bowman House has a limestone front, and the Ellen Ludlow Bushnell House is a brick home of about 1869-70 with Italianate and Renaissance details. The John Foos House, begun in 1870, is a limestone Italian Renaissance mansion that was completed in 1875. The Asa Bushnell House, built in 1887-88, is a Richardsonian Romanesque building of rock-faced granite designed by Robert H. Robertson. The street became fashionable after about 1869, when successful manufacturers and merchants built here, and by 1871 three of Springfield's most important businessmen lived within one city block. Asa Bushnell later served as Governor of Ohio. The district is listed for the contrast among its houses and for what they show about the values of their owners.
Significance in brief: The district shows three major late 19th-century styles side by side: Italianate, Renaissance revival and Richardsonian Romanesque. It also records the move of Springfield's wealthy manufacturers and merchants to East High Street. One house was the home of Asa Bushnell, later Governor of Ohio, and was designed by Robert H. Robertson.
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 74001412, listed October 9, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by E. High, S. Sycamore, and Walnut Sts., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Clark County |
| Listed | October 9, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001412 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1856-1888 |
| Architect / builder | Robert H. Robertson (Asa Bushnell House, 838 E. High St.) |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Renaissance Revival, and Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent and altered, with the district occupied. Uses include private residence and commercial: a women's club, a day care center, a catering inn and a funeral home. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 39.92174, -83.79650 (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 74001412.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5328601
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.