Times Building-Lodge Hall
Why it's listed
Built in 1902 at 19 E. Waterloo Street, this three-story, flat-roofed building in Canal Winchester is faced in blonde brick with contrasting lighter quoins, a zigzag corbelled cornice and stone lodge emblems. Brickmason William Boyd laid the walls. Identical details on the north and south elevations give it two faces, one toward Waterloo Street and one toward the former canal. It was built by the Gayman brothers, owners of The Winchester Times, in agreement with the local Masonic lodge. The newspaper printing office occupied the first floor, a telephone office the second, and the lodge hall the third. The paper was printed here until 1976, and the Masons and Eastern Star used the hall for nearly 80 years. It was listed for its vernacular two-part commercial block design and for its role in the community's communication and social life. It is now vacant and boarded up, though the open third-floor lodge hall remains intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the most dominant 20th century commercial building in town, as the only three-story building and one of two of unusual blonde brick. It was also the first building constructed specifically for the local newspaper, The Winchester Times, and served as a communication and social hub, housing a telephone office and a Masonic lodge hall for about 80 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 89001028, listed August 15, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 19 E. Waterloo St., Canal Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | August 15, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001028 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902 - 1938 |
| Architect / builder | William Boyd, brickmason |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & Early 20th Century American Revivals |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently vacant and boarded up; third-floor lodge hall largely intact, first floor partitioned with a concrete block wall c. 1985. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.84233, -82.80517 (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.
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 89001028.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q65077426
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.