Wheeling Avenue Historic District
Also known as: See Also: Berwick Hotel
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Wheeling Avenue forms the downtown spine of Cambridge, Ohio, and this district covers its central business blocks from the railroad tracks on the west to Tenth Street. About 60 buildings, mostly two to four stories and built of brick, line the street. Their dates run from the 1860s into the early 20th century. The sandstone Second Empire courthouse of 1883, designed by J.W. Yost, sits in a landscaped park near the center, with the Carnegie Library behind it and the 1914 Post Office nearby. Commercial buildings range from Queen Anne and Italianate designs to the High Victorian Odd Fellows hall of 1896, and railroad stations and freight houses stand at the western edge. The district was recognized because Cambridge served as county seat from 1809 and as a commercial hub along Zane's Trace and later the railroads. Its buildings show the town's development from the mid-19th century to the 1930s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district has been the governmental and commercial center of Guernsey County since the early 19th century. It contains the 1883 courthouse, the Carnegie Library and the Post Office, along with commercial blocks and railroad buildings that show the town's growth from the mid-19th century to the 1930s. It is cited for both architectural and historic reasons under Criteria A and C.
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 87000919, listed May 11, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Steubenville, Tenth, Wheeling, and Fourth Aves., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Guernsey County |
| Listed | May 11, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000919 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1850s-1930s |
| Architect / builder | J.W. Yost (Guernsey County Courthouse); Oscar Wenderoth, supervising architect (U.S. Post Office); Holbert & Speddon of Fairmont, W. Va. (B. & O. Passenger Station) |
| Architectural style | Second Empire, Queen Anne, Italianate, High Victorian, Jeffersonian Classical Revival, Georgian Revival, and early 20th century commercial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent, good and fair, with both altered and unaltered elements. The form notes few intrusions or vacant lots, and 13 non-contributing buildings. |
| Acreage | 27 |
| Coordinates | 40.02525, -81.59087 (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 87000919.
- 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.