Facer's Store
Why it's listed
Facer's Store is a two-story brick building at 279 E. Market Street in Sandusky, Ohio, at the corner of Hancock Street. Built in 1884 in the Italianate style, it served as an early grocery with living quarters above. Samuel Facer, a mail agent, helped develop this part of Market Street, and a small waterfront park nearby was named for him. His family lived upstairs, and his daughter Fannie later became Sandusky's pioneer woman social worker. The building has an unusual structure: instead of cross beams, an intricate system of cast iron columns and sandstone beams is held together by the brick outer walls. Decorative features include painted zinc scrollwork on the facade, iron grillwork on the side and rear doors, an iron balcony on the east side, stone sills and lintels, and a slate-mantel fireplace in the store room. It stands one block from Sandusky Bay in a neighborhood being revived through restoration. It was recognized for both its architecture and its associations.
Significance in brief: The inventory form says the building is significant both for its architecture and for its occupants. Samuel Facer, a mail agent, helped develop this part of Market Street, and his daughter Fannie became Sandusky's pioneer woman social worker. The building also has an unusual structural system of cast iron columns and sandstone beams.
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 82001397, listed October 20, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 279 E. Market St., Sandusky |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | October 20, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001397 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a vacant store with apartments; interior and exterior condition are both rated excellent. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Sandusky Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.45717, -82.70856 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 82001397.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137771764
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.