Main Street Buildings (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
The Bushnell Building at 14 East Main Street in Springfield, Ohio, is a five-story, L-shaped steel-frame office building completed in 1893, with a matching addition from 1903 facing North Fountain Avenue. Boston architects Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge designed both phases in a Second Renaissance Revival style, using light buff brick, terra cotta swags and garlands, round-arched windows, and a three-part facade. The 1903 section has a U-shaped marble entranceway and a marble and wrought iron stairway. It was built for Asa S. Bushnell, later governor of Ohio, and was the city's first major highrise office building. Early tenants included a bank, a dry goods store, law offices, and the local Masonic Temple. In the late 1920s it became a department store. The 1979 listing had omitted the addition and part of the rear, so the boundary was enlarged to cover the whole building and the period of significance was extended to 1903.
Significance in brief: The original 1979 listing left out the 1903 addition and about 23.5 feet of the rear of the 1893 section. The amendment adds them because the building is in essence a single structure. It is argued to be architecturally significant as the work of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, showing classical details and a tripartite facade in an early highrise. It was also Springfield's first major highrise office building, built for Asa S. Bushnell.
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 00000749, listed June 30, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 14 E. Main St., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Clark County |
| Listed | June 30, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000749 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1871-1903 |
| Architect / builder | Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Renaissance (Second Renaissance Revival) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Department store use ended around 1987 and the building stood vacant for a number of years until it was purchased in 1994; current function is listed as work in progress. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.89803, -83.80851 (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 00000749.
- 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.