Brown Township Building
Also known as: Ansonia Town Hall
Why it's listed
Built between April and November 1883, this two-story red brick building in Ansonia, Darke County, Ohio, has served as both the Brown Township hall and the village town hall. Designed by architect John Fryberger of Spitzer and Co. of Toledo, with O.J. Hager as contractor, it is an Italianate structure with a projecting central entrance, a bracketed balcony with original metal cresting, a half-round parapet reading TOWN HALL 1883, and a deep bracketed cornice. Inside, twin stairways curve up to an upper hall that retains wooden seats, a raised stage, a hardwood floor and an embossed tin ceiling. The ground floor has housed township and village offices, voting space, a jail, a post office and a fire station. The upper hall hosted plays, concerts, lectures, dances, basketball games and movies. Its century-long role as the community's political and social center, together with its architecture, supported its listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is historically and architecturally significant as the political and social center of Ansonia and Brown Township for over one hundred years. Its lower floor housed government offices, the jail, the post office and a fire station, while the upper hall hosted community events. It is described as the most architecturally significant building in the village.
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 83001955, listed August 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main and Weller Sts., Ansonia |
|---|---|
| County | Darke County |
| Listed | August 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001955 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1883 |
| Architect / builder | John Fryberger of Spitzer & Co., Toledo; O.J. Hager, contractor |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; the lower level is used for village and township offices, emergency squad vehicle and water works housing, and community services. The upper hall was restored by the community during the Bicentennial Year. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.20618, -84.64955 (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 83001955.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4976328
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.