Race Street Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Cincinnati Gymnasium and Athletic Club
Why it's listed
Race Street Historic District is a compact stretch of downtown Cincinnati made up of 25 commercial buildings along Race Street, Shillito Place and parts of West Sixth and West Seventh Streets. Buildings range from two to twelve stories, and most stand four to six stories tall, built to the sidewalk line. Unlike nearby blocks that have been redeveloped, the area keeps its early street pattern, including ten-foot-wide alleys. The buildings date from about 1850 to 1951 and show Italianate, Second Empire, Romanesque Revival, Italian Renaissance, Commercial and Moderne styles. Key buildings include the Lazarus Department Store, which began as the 1877 John Shillito Company store and was refaced in 1938 in a streamlined Moderne design. Others are the Robertson, Groton, Denton, Lancaster and Conrad buildings and the Cincinnati Gymnasium & Athletic Club. Architects such as Elzner & Anderson and Tietig & Lee designed some of them. The district was listed for its commercial history and architecture, with one noncontributing building.
Significance in brief: The district keeps the early downtown street pattern, including narrow alleys, which surrounding redeveloped blocks have lost. Its buildings show a range of revival, Commercial and Moderne styles and record the area's commercial development from 1877 to 1951. Work by notable firms such as Elzner & Anderson and Tietig & Lee adds to its architectural interest.
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 95000878, listed August 4, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly, along Race, W. 6th and W. 7th Sts. and Shillito Pl., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | August 4, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000878 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1877-1951 |
| Architect / builder | Elzner & Anderson, James McLaughlin, Tietig & Lee, Jos. G. Steinkamp & Bro. |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century; Late Victorian; Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements (including Italianate, Second Empire, Romanesque Revival, Italian Renaissance, Commercial, Moderne) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings have altered ground-floor storefronts. Current functions include commerce and recreation, and the form also lists some vacant space. One of the 25 buildings, 603 Race Street, is noncontributing. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 39.10303, -84.51503 (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 95000878.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7278922
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.