Main Street Buildings
Also known as: Starett & Fried Block; Bushnell Building; Wren's Department St
Why it's listed
Three connected commercial buildings on East Main Street in downtown Springfield, Ohio, preserve a cross-section of nineteenth-century storefront design. The Starrett & Fried Block, built about 1878, has a three-part iron front with Italianate brackets and Eastlake ornament, and it is the last iron-fronted building in the city. Next to it stands a narrow three-story brick building remodeled in the 1890s, typical of small shopkeepers' structures. The five-story Bushnell Building, commissioned by Asa S. Bushnell and designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, combines brownstone, buff brick and terra cotta in a Beaux Arts composition with Richardsonian touches. Its interior originally held a bank, a dry goods firm, offices and a Masonic temple. Ground floors have been heavily modernized, though upper facades remain largely intact. The group was valued as one of the last surviving pieces of roughly 150 years of commercial building in downtown Springfield, much of which had recently been demolished.
Significance in brief: The Bushnell Building is the most refined of the group, designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, successors to H. H. Richardson, in an eclectic mix of Beaux Arts and Second Renaissance Revival with Richardsonian touches. The Starrett & Fried Block is the last surviving iron-fronted building in Springfield. Together with the narrow King building, the group is among the last traces of the downtown's earlier commercial development.
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 79001790, listed March 2, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6--14 E. Main St., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Clark County |
| Listed | March 2, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001790 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1871-1893 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (Starrett & Fried Block and King building); Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge (Bushnell Building); built for Asa S. Bushnell |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance with Eastlake ornamentation (iron-front block); Beaux Arts with Second Renaissance Revival detailing and slight Richardsonian touches (Bushnell Building) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered: first floors modernized for retail use; upper floors of the iron-front block and the King building are empty and used for storage; the Bushnell Building interior was converted to a department store. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Within district | Springfield Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.92458, -83.80960 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 79001790.
- 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.