Seville Jail
Also known as: Seville Village Prison
Why it's listed
Built in 1881, this small red brick lockup in Seville, Ohio, measures just 16 by 12 feet. Village council set aside $350 for the "calaboose," which held drunks, vagrants, speeders and other minor offenders until 1938, when an ordinance ended overnight housing of transients and prisoners went to the county facility at Medina. Inside, two original iron cells with strap iron cots remain at the rear, and the barred side window keeps its original strap iron. The building has a common-bond brick structure, a stone lintel over the entry, a plain wood cornice and a standing-seam metal gable roof. In 1995 it was moved less than a quarter mile to save it from demolition, and it still rests on its original sandstone foundation. It is the only building of its kind left in Medina County and one of two known in eastern Ohio, which is why it was listed for its architecture. It is also the village's last nineteenth-century municipal building.
Significance in brief: It is nominated under Criterion C as a rare surviving example of a nineteenth-century small village lockup, a building type that faded as county jails took over. It is the only such building in Medina County and one of two known in eastern Ohio. It also keeps its original iron cells and cots and is the village's only surviving nineteenth-century municipal 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 97001135, listed September 26, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 70 W. Main St., Seville |
|---|---|
| County | Medina County |
| Listed | September 26, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97001135 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1881 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used as a museum next to the Seville Historical Society house museum; moved in 1995 to save it from demolition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.01035, -81.86654 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 97001135.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138575132
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.