Central Public School
Why it's listed
Central Public School and its auditorium occupy a hillside site at 109 St. Clair Avenue in Mingo Junction, Ohio, overlooking the downtown, the steel mill and the Ohio River. Built in 1919-20, the three-story dark brick school has stone window and door surrounds, belt courses and pointed arch details in the Jacobethan Revival manner. A five-bay auditorium with three round-arched entrances faces Commercial Street and connects to the school by a stairway. The site has served local education since Franklin School opened in 1873, followed by a first Central School in 1906 that burned in 1917. The replacement was financed by two bond issues and included a 565-seat auditorium, gymnasium, locker rooms, assembly hall and classrooms. The upper grades used the top floor until Central High School opened in 1929. The building has since been vacated. It was listed for its architectural integrity and its setting on the town's earliest school site.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it meets Criterion C for its Jacobethan Revival architecture and the integrity of its setting. It stands on the site of the town's first school, Franklin School, built in 1873, and is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Mingo Junction.
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 87000472, listed March 17, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 109 Saint Clair Ave., Mingo Junction |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | March 17, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000472 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Jacobethan Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacated in recent years; the form notes the challenge of adapting it for reuse. Exterior condition is listed as good, though the window sashes have been altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.31973, -80.60809 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 87000472.
- 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.