New York Central Freight House
Why it's listed
Built in 1910 at 412 East River Street in Elyria, Ohio, this brick freight house handled goods moving by rail in and out of the city. It has two gable-roofed parts: a two-story block about 40 by 74 feet and a one-story block about 40 by 180 feet with segmental-arched loading doors and bracketed eaves like those on a railroad station. Wooden trusses span the interior. The building served the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern line, later part of the New York Central, and received raw materials and shipped finished products for local factories, including makers of carriage hardware and machine screws. It also housed Railway Express operations and railroad maintenance crews. Freight work continued until the early 1970s. It is the only two-story freight-handling building in Lorain County and was large for a city of Elyria's size. The exterior remains largely intact, although fire and vandalism have damaged the interior and some windows are gone.
Significance in brief: The building served as the hub for moving goods in and out of Elyria from 1910 until the early 1970s. It was an unusual two-story freight structure, the only one in Lorain County, with a large capacity for a city of Elyria's size. It is also noted for its simple but elegant design.
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 82003605, listed June 1, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 412 E. River St., Elyria |
|---|---|
| County | Lorain County |
| Listed | June 1, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003605 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910 |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as unoccupied and vacant. The exterior is intact, though some windows are lost and the interior has fire and vandalism damage. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 41.36979, -82.09585 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 82003605.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138507882
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.