Federal Building
Why it's listed
Located at 18 North Phelps Street, one short block west of Central Square in Youngstown, this four-story office building dates to 1898-1899. It has a steel frame, a concrete foundation and brick walls articulated with arcading. Each rank of plain rectangular windows is topped by a round-arched one, and a modest dentilled and bracketed cornice marks the roofline. The ground-floor commercial fronts have mostly been re-faced. The building was first constructed to house the offices of Youngstown Sheet and Tube, one of the city's major companies, and later held commercial and professional offices, many of them physicians. It is identified as the oldest of the early office buildings around Central Square. Daniel Burnham, a nationally prominent architect, designed it. It faces the Wick Building, which shares its architect and is related to it in design. It is one of seven early office buildings at Central Square recognized together as a group of architecturally distinguished structures.
Significance in brief: It is described as the oldest of the early office buildings near Central Square. It was built for the offices of Youngstown Sheet and Tube and later housed commercial and professional offices, including many physicians. It was designed by Daniel Burnham, a major American architect, and is related in design to the nearby Wick Building.
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 80003147, listed February 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 18 N. Phelps St., Youngstown |
|---|---|
| County | Mahoning County |
| Listed | February 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003147 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1898-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Daniel Burnham |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as an office building; condition listed as good inside and out, with ground-story fronts mostly re-faced. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.10083, -80.65077 (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.
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 80003147.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138565171
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.