Worthington Historic District
Why it's listed
Worthington's historic district preserves the village planned in 1802, before its first settlers left New England for Ohio. The plan follows a New England model: a central village green, land set aside for a school and church, and individual lots for sale. Streets form a grid bounded by North, South, Morning and Evening Streets, with High Street and Granville Road crossing at the Green. Buildings date from the first decade of the 19th century through the early 1960s and include the Gothic Revival St. John's Episcopal Church, the Georgian Revival Presbyterian Church and former library, the 1820 Masonic Lodge and the mansard-roofed Worthington Inn. High Street serves as the commercial spine, while surrounding blocks hold houses from many eras, including post-war ranch and Cape Cod homes. The district reflects the town's shift from frontier village to farm market center to Columbus suburb, and it records a local habit of moving historic buildings to save them from development.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the intact 1802 town plan and buildings spanning from the first decade of the 19th century to the early 1960s. Its architecture shows the community's growth from a frontier village to a market village and then a suburb of Columbus. The form also stresses the community's long practice of preserving and moving historic buildings.
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 10000190, listed April 13, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by North, South, Morning, and Evening Sts., Worthington |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | April 13, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000190 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1803-early 1960s (described as about 150 years) |
| Architect / builder | Martin, Orr and Martin (Columbus architects of several churches and the library); Charles Cellarius (1959 church wing) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Shingle Style, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The district contains 589 contributing and 104 noncontributing resources, with many buildings still in residential, commercial, civic and religious use. |
| Acreage | 195 |
| Coordinates | 40.08894, -83.01826 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 10000190.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.