Cable, Frank, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1895 at 809 W. Washington Street in Sandusky, this three-story limestone house is an example of Queen Anne architecture. It has rock-faced ashlar walls, a slate roof of intersecting gable and hip forms, and an irregular plan. A polygonal turret with a tent roof and finial is the most distinctive feature, ringed by two string courses. Other details include stone lintels and sills, a stone water table, shingled gable ends, a shed-roofed dormer, a banded stone chimney, and a porch with single, double and triple wooden posts. The house is also tied to Frank Cable, a merchant and real estate developer. With his brother Edward, he developed Cable Park on land used since 1874 as the Erie County Fair Grounds. Their father, Laurence Cable, bought the land from the county in 1899, and by 1913 the first house had been built in what became Sandusky's finest early 20th Century development. The house remains a dwelling in a mixed-use area.
Significance in brief: The house is noted for its limestone Queen Anne design and for its builder, Frank Cable, a merchant and real estate developer. Cable and his brother Edward developed Cable Park on former county fairground land, which became Sandusky's finest early 20th Century development.
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 82001382, listed October 20, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 809 W. Washington St., Sandusky |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | October 20, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001382 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895 |
| Architect / builder | Lawrence Sr. (listed as contractor or builder; the entry is partly illegible) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a dwelling; exterior condition is described as good. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.45299, -82.71684 (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 82001382.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137771513
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.