Lasalle, Koch and Company Department Store
Also known as: Macy's Building
Why it's listed
Completed in 1917 at Adams and Huron Streets in downtown Toledo, this nine-story department store was built for Lasalle, Koch and Company, one of the city's oldest dry goods firms. New York architects Goldwyn Starrett and Joseph Van Vleck designed it, and the local firm A. Bentley and Sons built it. The street level features a two-story Tuscan colonnade of polished granite columns and limestone arches, with a Corinthian colonnade on the seventh and eighth floors and a copper cornice above. Reinforced concrete framing reflects early skyscraper construction. Three floors were added in 1927 and escalators in 1947; the top two floors were removed in 1994 because of structural weakness. The store closed in 1984, and the building is vacant and deteriorated. It was listed for its architecture, as the best Second Renaissance Revival department store in Toledo, and for its high artistic value. A local newspaper once called it the finest department store between New York and Chicago.
Significance in brief: The building is significant under Criterion C as the best example of Second Renaissance Revival style among Toledo's department stores and one of few commercial buildings in the city in that style. It shows early skyscraper and reinforced concrete construction methods and carries high-style details such as the ground-floor Roman arcade and the Corinthian colonnade. It also represents the work of a prominent New York architectural firm.
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 95001001, listed August 4, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 513 Adams St., at jct. with Huron St., Toledo |
|---|---|
| County | Lucas County |
| Listed | August 4, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001001 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1917-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Starrett & Van Vleck-Architects; A. Bentley & Sons-Builder |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival (Second Renaissance Revival / Commercial Renaissance Revival) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant/not in use; the interior is deteriorated, the tenth and eleventh floors were demolished in 1994, and the arcade roof leaks. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Toledo Central Business Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.65311, -83.53562 (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.
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 95001001.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138548581
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.