Sail Loft

Built around 1840 on the east side of Main Street, just south of Ferry Street in Vermilion, Ohio, the Sail Loft began as a warehouse serving the town's shipyard. It is a two-story rectangular building with heavy timber construction, a stone foundation, a gabled asphalt-shingle roof and board-and-batten siding. Recent remodelling replaced the roof and siding and added new window openings, so the exterior retains little beyond the original basic shape. Inside, especially in the restaurant that now occupies it, large wooden supports from the original structure remain visible. The building sits on sloping land between Main Street and the Vermilion River, where a landscaped terrace overlooks the water. It was identified as one of the early shipyard warehouses and, along with the Kishman Fish Company buildings, is all that survives of the old shipyards. Its well-preserved interior makes it a tangible reminder of Vermilion's maritime heritage.