Bing's Hotel
Why it's listed
Bing's Hotel is a three-story limestone building on a corner of East Water Street in Sandusky, facing Sandusky Bay. Built about 1878 in the Romanesque Revival style, it has rock-faced ashlar walls, a cornice with stone dentils, a stone string course, a water table and arched cut-stone window lintels. Windows hold four-over-four panes, and many retain inside shutters. A large rear addition was built in 1884, and the first-floor business fronts were altered roughly a decade before the 1981 inventory. The building matters for its stonework and for its role in lake travel, since it served as a hotel for travelers arriving by water. William Bing was the first proprietor, and by the mid-1880s it was called the Lake View House, offering thirty rooms with parlors and dining apartments. By 1908 it was a wholesale grocery, and in 1940 it became a cake decorations firm. It now holds offices and shops in an area that is being revitalized.
Significance in brief: The building is considered important for its limestone Romanesque Revival architecture and because it served as a hotel for lake travelers. William Bing was its first proprietor, and by the mid-1880s it was known as the Lake View House. A reviewer's note indicates the significance should be framed in terms other than its use as a hotel.
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 82001378, listed October 20, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 302 E. Water St., Sandusky |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | October 20, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001378 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Exterior condition is listed as very good; the building currently houses offices and shops, and the first-floor storefronts were altered about ten years before the 1981 inventory. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Sandusky Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.45825, -82.70871 (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 82001378.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137771321
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.