Ropes, Nathaniel, Building
Why it's listed
Rising four stories on Main Street near the Hamilton County Courthouse, this brick commercial building dates from about 1882 and shows the Queen Anne style in a downtown setting. Nathaniel Ropes, who ran a lard, candle and oil manufacturing company, built it as a personal investment rather than for his firm. He had bought most of the land in 1844, put up a wood frame building, and replaced it with another in 1871 before adding land to the south for the present structure. The facade is its main attraction. It combines a cast iron storefront, sandstone lintels and belt courses, terra cotta panels and a decorated nameplate with the initials NR, corbeled buttresses, and a parapet with a blind colonnade. The interior is plain and functional. The building was listed because few Queen Anne commercial examples survive in Cincinnati's business district, and this one illustrates the style's variety of details especially well.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is one of the best surviving Queen Anne commercial examples in Cincinnati. Its facade combines cast iron, sandstone, terra cotta, buttresses and corbel courses. Redevelopment has reduced the number of Queen Anne commercial buildings downtown, so few remain to show the style's range of details.
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 82003585, listed September 30, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 917 Main St., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | September 30, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003585 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built c. 1882 by Nathaniel Ropes as owner) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne commercial |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and unaltered, on its original site. Commercial activities occupy the first-floor storefronts. The status is marked both occupied and unoccupied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.10623, -84.51099 (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 82003585.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6969836
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.