Hooper Building
Also known as: Fourth and Elm Building
Why it's listed
Rising seven stories at the southeast corner of Fourth and Elm Streets in Cincinnati, the Hooper Building was completed in 1893 to designs by Samuel Hannaford & Sons. It was built for The John Church Co., whose president, William Hooper, owned the property. The brick structure rests on a random ashlar limestone foundation and shows Commercial Queen Anne styling, with five bays on its north and west facades, arcaded lintels with scrolled keystones, a wide beltcourse, and a bracketed cornice. The John Church Co. manufactured pianos, instruments and printed music, and was the leading publisher of sacred music in the world around 1900. It left in 1926. The Joseph Lazarus Company, a clothing manufacturer that grew from 14 employees in 1886 to 300 in 1904, occupied the building from about 1895 until 1968. The storefront and windows have been altered, but the building remains part of the West Fourth Street streetscape and a recognized Hannaford work.
Significance in brief: It is a work of the Cincinnati architects Samuel Hannaford & Sons, included in a thematic group of their buildings. It is also tied to two major local businesses: the John Church Co., a leading publisher of sacred music, and the Joseph Lazarus clothing company. It forms part of the architectural fabric of West Fourth Street.
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 80003058, listed March 3, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 139-151 W. 4th St., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | March 3, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003058 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Hannaford & Sons (architect); builder unknown |
| Architectural style | Commercial Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Inventory lists condition as good inside and out, with alterations to the cast iron storefront, replaced windows and part of the east cornice removed; present use is commercial. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.09930, -84.51551 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 80003058.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5898362
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.