Granville Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Buxton Inn; St. Luke's Episcopal Church; Avery-Hunter
Why it's listed
Granville is a small village in central Licking County, Ohio, set among Mt. Parnassus, Prospect Hill and Sugar Loaf Hill along Raccoon Creek. Settlers from Granville, Massachusetts and Granby, Connecticut founded it in 1804, and its appearance recalls a New England village. The historic district is centered on Broadway, which runs through a residential western section, a village center with three churches and an opera house at Main Street, and a commercial eastern section with the Granville and Buxton Inns. Surrounding streets and part of the Denison University campus complete the district. Representative buildings include the 1815 Bank of the Alexandrian Society, the 1824 brick Federal-style Lucius Mower house, Greek Revival and Gothic Revival homes of the 1840s and 1850s, the 1852 Water Cure buildings and the 1925 Granville Inn. Because the village has changed little in size since the 1860s, it preserves a broad record of nineteenth and early twentieth century architecture and local history.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents Granville as rich in architecture and history, with a large number of well-preserved buildings in Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Federal, Eastlake and other styles. The village has grown little in about 75 years and resembles a New England village. Its buildings are tied to Denison University, local builders, churches and the 1850s Water Cure.
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 80003138, listed November 28, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | OH 37, Granville |
|---|---|
| County | Licking County |
| Listed | November 28, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003138 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Frank Packard (Granville Inn); Arnold Brunner (Swasey Chapel); J. Milton Dyer (Swasey Observatory); Richards, McCarty and Bulford (Beth-Eden, Barney Science Hall, Doane Academy); Lucius Mower; Amos Montanya |
| Architectural style | Mixed: Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Federal, Eastlake, Georgian Revival, Jacobethan Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition boxes are marked excellent and good, with the district both altered and unaltered. The Opera House is described as endangered, with a local preservation effort underway. |
| Acreage | 99 |
| Coordinates | 40.06819, -82.51942 (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 80003138.
- 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.