Cooke-Robertson House
Why it's listed
Built around 1835 at 412 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky, this two-story limestone house is an early example of a double dwelling. Its walls are rock-faced ashlar on a limestone foundation, with a gable roof, cornice brackets, stone lintels and sills, and a transom over each of the two front doors. The above-ground basement windows have lintels made of six-ended stone blocks. Later changes include alterations to the double front stairs in the late 1940s, cement over the side wall, and replacement of the original windows with double-pane glass. Eleutheros Cooke, one of Sandusky's first citizens and a promoter of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, the first in Ohio, built the house. William Robertson bought it from Cooke's estate in 1865 and lived there for almost thirty years. He was the last person to own all three connected houses in the row. The block, on Sandusky's main street, is congested, and its former single-family houses now serve as apartments and offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a very early double limestone dwelling. It was built by Eleutheros Cooke, one of Sandusky's first citizens and a promoter of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, the first railroad in Ohio. William Robertson bought it from Cooke's estate in 1865 and lived there almost thirty years.
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 82001387, listed October 20, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 412 Columbus Ave., Sandusky |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | October 20, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001387 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Eleutheros Cooke (builder/original owner); form also lists "W. Adams Sr." in the architect field |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In use as apartments; exterior condition listed as good. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.45310, -82.70977 (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 82001387.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137771718
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.