Lytle Park Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Police Station No. 2
Why it's listed
Lytle Park Historic District is a compact area of downtown Cincinnati built around Lytle Park, which became city property in 1905. The park lies on the site of Fort Washington, a log fort completed in 1789 where the village of Losantiville was renamed Cincinnati. Within a few blocks stand buildings from roughly 1820 to the early twentieth century in many styles. The Literary Club, built about 1820, shows Georgian influence. The Nolan, Keelor and Stites Building, about 1865, and the Academy of Medicine, about 1850, are Italianate townhouses. The Western and Southern Life Insurance building of 1916 uses Greek Revival elements, and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, dedicated in 1927 and designed by Edward J. Schulter, is Gothic in inspiration. The Taft Museum and Fenwick Club were already listed separately. The park also holds a Lincoln statue by George Grey Barnard, dedicated in 1917. Together the buildings illustrate a continuous sequence of architectural fashions.
Significance in brief: The district gathers a wide range of architectural styles, including Georgian, Federal, Italianate, Greek Revival, Gothic and Tudor, within a few blocks. It also occupies the site of Fort Washington, built in 1789 at the settlement that became Cincinnati, and includes institutions such as the Literary Club and the American Book Company, publisher of the McGuffey Readers.
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 76001435, listed March 26, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by 3rd, 5th, Sycamore, Commercial Sq., and Butler Sts., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | March 26, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001435 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Edward J. Schulter (Chapel of the Holy Spirit) |
| Architectural style | Mixed styles: Georgian, Federal, Italianate, Victorian, Greek Revival, Gothic, Tudor, Baroque |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent and largely unaltered; the district is occupied and used for commercial, educational, religious, residential and park purposes. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Coordinates | 39.10081, -84.50567 (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 76001435.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6710362
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.