First Concrete Street In U.S.
Why it's listed
East Court Avenue in Bellefontaine, Ohio, between Main and Opera Streets, is a 203.5-foot stretch of street paved with concrete in the summer of 1893. It is built of concrete sections five feet square laid over a stone foundation, with a four-inch base layer and a wearing surface about two inches thick. Local cement maker George W. Bartholomew developed a wet method of making concrete and persuaded the city council to test it, first with a strip along Main Street in 1891. After the strip held up, the city contracted for paving of four streets beside the courthouse square. Bartholomew supplied the concrete free and posted a bond guaranteeing five years of wear. The streets stayed in service 65 years before major maintenance in 1956. Grooves and cleat marks were cut into the surface to give horses traction, and some grooves remain visible. The surface has worn and chipped, but the city has repaired it to match the original pattern. The street is still public and in use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that this was among the first public streets in the United States paved with concrete, and the form's title calls it the first. The 1893 paving, using George W. Bartholomew's patented wet-method concrete, showed that concrete could serve as a paving material. The pavement lasted 65 years before its first major maintenance.
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 74001547, listed February 25, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E. Court Ave., Bellefontaine |
|---|---|
| County | Logan County |
| Listed | February 25, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001547 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1893 |
| Architect / builder | George W. Bartholomew (Buckeye Portland Cement Company) supplied the concrete |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as a public street; condition listed as fair and altered, with surface wear and edge chipping repaired by the city in keeping with the original pattern. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Bellefontaine Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.36078, -83.75923 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 74001547.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5178213
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.