Beer, Judge Thomas, House
Also known as: George Fritz House
Why it's listed
Built in 1863 on the southwest side of Bucyrus, Ohio, this two-story weatherboard house was constructed for Judge Thomas Beer and designed and built by local contractor George Ross. Its Italianate character shows in the large paired brackets under the eaves, the low hip roof with a monitor, pedimented window heads and a front porch with balcony. The five-bay front with a projecting center bay is typical of the style for the period. Inside, the woodwork is cherry and rare red cedar. Ross built from his own plans, and this is one of only three of his houses still standing in Bucyrus; the Scroggs and McGraw houses are the others. Beer came to Bucyrus in 1860 as a newspaper editor, became a lawyer, served in the state legislature, and later sat as a common pleas and circuit court judge. He farmed the surrounding land, which was later subdivided for newer houses. The house stayed in the Beer family until 1977.
Significance in brief: It is one of three surviving Bucyrus houses built by George Ross, a popular Crawford County contractor, and one of his earliest, built from his own plans. It has excellent Italianate detailing, including paired brackets, a low hip roof with monitor, pedimented window heads and a front entry porch. Rare red cedar was used for interior woodwork. It is also tied to Judge Beer, an attorney, judge and state legislator.
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 80002968, listed March 24, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 306 W. Southern Ave., Bucyrus |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Listed | March 24, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002968 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | George Ross |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Law, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and unaltered on its original site; occupied as a private residence. A small frame garage was added in 1968. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.79757, -82.97779 (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 80002968.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137626628
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.