Toledo Traction Company Power Station
Also known as: Toledo Poer House; Toledo Edison Company WAter Stret Station, et al
Why it's listed
Standing at 300 Water Street beside the Maumee River in Toledo, this brick power station was built in 1895-97 to supply electricity for the trolleys of the Toledo Traction Company and, soon after, for city residents. Daniel Burnham's Chicago firm designed it in the Romanesque Revival style, and it was among the first buildings the firm produced after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Water Street front has a long arcade of arched windows with Roman brick details and corbeled stringcourses. Chicago engineers Sargent and Lundy fitted it with large boilers and Edison's three-wire system, and it later housed one of the earliest turbine generators in the country. The plant grew through several expansions before 1916, became a steam plant after 1930, and stopped operating in 1985. In 2000 the later additions were removed, leaving the 1895 and 1899 sections and two smokestacks. The building has been vacant since that time.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues significance under Criterion C for architecture. The building was the first designed by the new firm of D.H. Burnham and Company after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, and the first of two Burnham buildings in Toledo. Engineers Sargent and Lundy equipped it with Edison's three-wire system, and it housed one of the earliest turbine generators in the United States.
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 03000555, listed June 19, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 300 Water St., Toledo |
|---|---|
| County | Lucas County |
| Listed | June 19, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000555 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895-1899 |
| Architect / builder | D.H. Burnham and Company, Chicago (1895-1899); Sargent and Lundy Engineers, Chicago (1895-1916) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revival/Neo-Classical (described in the text as Romanesque Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant since 2000, after later additions and the 1897 boiler room were removed. Only the 1895 and 1899 portions of the building remain, along with two smokestacks. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Within district | Toledo Central Business Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.65057, -83.53215 (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 03000555.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q125320666
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.