Gallipolis Public Square and Garden Lots Historic District
Why it's listed
Gallipolis Public Square and Garden Lots Historic District occupies a high bank above the Ohio River in Gallia County, Ohio. At its center is the three-acre Public Square, called La Place, where French settlers built eighty log cabins in four rows beginning in October 1790. Today the square holds a park, an 1878 Eastlake-influenced wooden bandstand and two war memorials. Around it stand about thirty buildings from the 19th century, mixing homes and commercial blocks, along with the Garden Lots along the river that are now residential. Featured buildings include the 1811 Federal LeClerq House, built by one of the original French settlers, the 1819 Our House tavern where General Lafayette was entertained in 1825, the 1894 Lupton Block in Richardsonian Romanesque style, and several Greek Revival houses on First Avenue. Few buildings have seen major alteration, so the district retains a cohesive appearance and a visible link to the town's French origins.
Significance in brief: The district contains the site of the original 1790 French settlement of Gallipolis and a cohesive set of 19th-century residential and commercial buildings around it. Several buildings are tied to the original French settlers and to early local figures. The form notes that few buildings have undergone major alterations, giving the district a continuous architectural quality.
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 80003027, listed January 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Court and State Sts., 1st and 2nd Aves., Gallipolis |
|---|---|
| County | Gallia County |
| Listed | January 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003027 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Peter LeClerq (LeClerq House); John Peter Romaine Bureau (Bureau House); Henry Cushing (Our House); Rene Carel (McGinness House); Joseph Vanden-bemden (Tap House) |
| Architectural style | Mixed 19th-century styles including Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Richardsonian Romanesque, French Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Eastlake |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent, good and fair; the district is occupied, with commercial, park and private residential uses. Some buildings have been converted, for example the former Lafayette hotel to a shopping mall and the Ohio Valley Bank Building to shops. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Within district | Gallipolis Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.80759, -82.20401 (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 80003027.
- 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.