St. Clair Street Historic District
Why it's listed
St. Clair Street in Toledo preserves a row of mid and late nineteenth-century brick commercial buildings close to the Maumee River. Most have altered ground floors, but upper stories keep Italianate bracketed cornices, arched windows, brick corbeling and cast iron columns. Notable buildings include Martin Evoy's Saloon, now the St. Clair Machine Co., the C. N. Dixon Building, the Grand Hotel block and the Hinery and Sons complex. The west side of the street is nearly complete, while the east side has been largely cleared and turned into parking. The district was listed because it is the only surviving group of commercial buildings near the old dock area. Toledo grew from 1845 on canal trade, then became a major railroad terminus, and later gained gas and oil industries. The St. Clair Street buildings date from that prosperous period and recall the city's commercial vigor in the 1870s and 1880s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is the only group of commercial buildings left near Toledo's once busy dock area, where most other nineteenth-century buildings have been torn down. The buildings reflect Toledo's canal, railroad and industrial prosperity in the 1870s and 1880s and represent vanishing old commercial districts.
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 75001471, listed May 29, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Both sides of St. Clair St. from Perry St. to S side of Lafayette St., Toledo |
|---|---|
| County | Lucas County |
| Listed | May 29, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001471 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1855-1880's |
| Architectural style | Victorian commercial; Italianate and Eastlake detailing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good and altered. Nearly all buildings have altered ground-level facades, the east side of the street is nearly demolished, and the district is in commercial use. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 41.64701, -83.53850 (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 75001471.
- 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.