Gallipolis Historic District
Also known as: Gallipolis Public Square and Garden Lots Historic District; (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Gallipolis Historic District covers the compact, densely developed historic core of Gallipolis, a city on a bluff above the Ohio River in Gallia County, Ohio. It enlarges an earlier district centered on the three-acre Public Square and adds more blocks of commercial, civic and residential buildings along Second and Third Avenues, Court and State Streets, and nearby streets. Notable buildings include the Lupton Block of 1894, the Ohio Valley Bank Building of 1896 with Chateauesque elements, the Betz Opera House, the Park Central Hotel, the 1903 Carnegie Library, the 1923 Classical Revival Post Office and the 1937 Colony Theatre marquee. The Public Square holds an Eastlake-style bandstand from about 1878, a 1915 memorial fountain and a World War I memorial. The district was expanded after a survey by local volunteers and a preservation consultant documented more than 100 additional buildings. Together the buildings record the city's commercial prosperity and its growth from the 19th century to the mid-20th century.
Significance in brief: The district holds the greatest concentration of significant historic buildings in this early Ohio River city. Its commercial, civic and residential buildings show the town's growth and development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, beyond what the original district covered.
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 01000899, listed August 22, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by 3rd Ave., Vine and Spruce Sts. and the Ohio R., Gallipolis |
|---|---|
| County | Gallia County |
| Listed | August 22, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000899 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | James Wetmore (federal architect, Post Office, 1923); Frank Packard (Ohio Valley Bank Building and addition) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal; Greek Revival, Gothic Revival; Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne; French Renaissance, Georgian Revival, Colonial Revival; Bungalow |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Downtown continues in historic uses; the form lists current functions as the same as historic ones. Some buildings have been lost to fire or demolition. |
| Acreage | 70 |
| Within district | Gallipolis Public Square and Garden Lots Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.80670, -82.20665 (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 01000899.
- 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.