Ohio Bell Henderson-Endicott Exchange Building
Why it's listed
Located at 5400-20 Prospect Avenue in Cleveland, this three-story telephone exchange was completed in 1928 for Ohio Bell. It has a skeletal frame, a flat roof, a polished granite base and limestone walls. Three-story piers divide the bays, and their stepped tops, floral ornament and the Bell Telephone corporate symbol mark it as Moderne. The design came from Mills, Rheins, Bellman & Nordhoff of Toledo, a firm that began working for Ohio Bell in 1924 with the company's Toledo headquarters and later designed 63 other telephone buildings across Ohio. The building was listed because of its architecture and its place among the notable commercial buildings of the Upper Prospect area. It is the only Modernistic building on Upper Prospect and one of few examples of the style in the city. Four of the seven telephone buildings on the Ohio Historic Inventory were designed in this style, which was popular for Cleveland telephone buildings. It remains in office use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its architecture and as one of the important early twentieth-century commercial buildings in the Upper Prospect area. It is the only Modernistic building on Upper Prospect and one of a few examples of the style in Cleveland. The style was popular for telephone buildings, and the architects had a long working relationship with Ohio Bell.
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 84000232, listed November 1, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5400-5420 Prospect Ave., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | November 1, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000232 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928 |
| Architect / builder | Mills, Rheins, Bellman & Nordhoff (architects, Toledo); builder unknown |
| Architectural style | Modernistic (Moderne) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Exterior condition listed as good; present use is office building; interior condition unknown. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Midtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.50251, -81.65236 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 84000232.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137705503
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.