Unionville Tavern
Why it's listed
Unionville Tavern sits at the crossing of County Line Road and State Route 84 in Unionville, Lake County, Ohio. A tavern has operated on the site since about 1798, when a log cabin was built beside the road running west from Pittsburgh through Warren. A second identical cabin followed as business grew. By 1815 stagecoaches were bringing overnight passengers, and the cabins were converted into a single two-story saltbox, with the present building dated 1818-20. Its most prominent feature is a two-story portico, added after 1820, with four square Doric columns and an architrave spanning about twelve feet. Inside, part of the original log construction remains in the basement, and an old ballroom survives above a former covered entry. The first floor has four large rooms plus a kitchen and pantries, with traveler rooms upstairs. The tavern stood on the Cleveland-Buffalo Road mail route and was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936. It remains in commercial use and is described as in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites architecture and transportation as areas of significance. The building has a two-story Doric portico added after 1820 with an unusually wide architrave bay. The site also served travelers on the Cleveland-Buffalo Road and the Pittsburgh-Warren route westward, and it grew from log cabins into a two-story saltbox as stagecoach traffic increased.
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 73001492, listed July 26, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | On OH 84, Unionville |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | July 26, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001492 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and altered, on its original site; marked occupied and in commercial use. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 41.78044, -81.00295 (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 73001492.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138456669
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.