Commercial Building
Why it's listed
This three-story brick commercial building stands at the northeast corner of Second Street and Middle Avenue in Elyria, Ohio, facing the public square and across the street from the county courthouse. Built in the late 1800s in the Italianate style, it has a thirty-foot frontage, a flat composition roof and a sandstone foundation. Its most distinctive features are a massive, elaborate cornice, ornate window lintels and a large projecting bay window on the second floor. Inside, a single long skylighted hallway leads to small offices on the upper floors. The ground-level storefront has been altered, and the interior has not been well maintained. Many businesses have been housed here over the years. This block of Middle Avenue was once known as "Cheapside," because its businesses offered lower prices than those on Broad Street. The building was listed for its notable Italianate detailing and its prominent corner position in downtown Elyria.
Significance in brief: The nomination points to its significant Italianate detailing, which is notable within the city, and to its prominent corner location facing the public square. It also notes that many businesses have occupied the building and that this block of Middle Avenue was once called "Cheapside."
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 79002724, listed August 13, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE corner 2nd St. and Middle Ave., Elyria |
|---|---|
| County | Lorain County |
| Listed | August 13, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002724 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Late 1800's |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Interior condition is listed as poor and exterior as fair. The ground-level storefront has been altered and the interior has not been well maintained. Present use is commercial. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Elyria Downtown-West Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.36662, -82.10644 (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 79002724.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138507563
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.