St. Clair Street Historic District (Boundary Increase-Decrease)
Why it's listed
St. Clair Street in downtown Toledo preserves a row of brick commercial buildings from the mid and late nineteenth century, standing two blocks from the Maumee River. Most have altered ground-floor facades, but upper stories keep Italianate bracketed cornices, arched windows with brick hoodmolds, corbelled brickwork and cast iron columns. The west side of the street is nearly complete, while the east side has largely been demolished and turned into parking. Notable buildings include Martin Evoy's Saloon, opened around 1866, the Dixon Building, a saloon and hotel from 1885, and the Grand Hotel block, dating from 1872 and later used as a mission and a charitable headquarters. The district was listed because it is the only group of commercial buildings remaining near the old dock area, where canal trade, railroads, gas and oil refining made Toledo prosperous. The buildings reflect 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 comparable buildings have been torn down. The Victorian buildings represent Toledo's early commercial history and the city's prosperity in the 1870s and 1880s, a period of canal, railroad and industrial growth.
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). NRHP reference 14000546, listed September 3, 2014. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 28 N. St Clair, 23-29 & 31 Summit, Toledo |
|---|---|
| County | Lucas County |
| Listed | September 3, 2014 |
| Reference number | 14000546 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1855-1880's |
| Architectural style | Victorian commercial, including Italianate and Eastlake detailing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good but altered; nearly all buildings have altered ground-level facades, and the east side of the street has been nearly demolished and is mostly parking lots. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.64596, -83.53699 (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 14000546.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.