Hobart Circle Historic District
Why it's listed
Hobart Circle in Troy, Ohio, is a small subdivision of houses made entirely of welded steel. The Hobart brothers' Hobart Welded Steel House Co. fabricated each house of 18 gauge steel in its West Main Street factory and delivered it by truck to the site. The houses date from 1938 to 1940 and were first held as rentals by the company, then sold in the mid to late 1940s. The survey counts 21 surviving Hobart houses, with the Circle holding a notable group. Styles include Georgian Revival, Cape Cod, Dutch Colonial Revival and a rare Moderne example. Original features such as welded steel entrance hoods, circular windows and sixteen-light casement windows survive on some houses, and one lot keeps an original steel storage shed described as the only one of its style. Others have been altered with vinyl siding, replacement windows and new roofs, though the steel construction remains. Together they document an unusual local experiment in prefabricated housing.
Significance in brief: The houses were designed and built by the Hobart brothers and prefabricated entirely of 18 gauge welded steel in their West Main Street factory, then trucked to the site. The Hobart Circle subdivision contains a concentration of these houses, with the survey describing each as one of 21 remaining Hobart houses. Several are in styles such as Georgian Revival, Cape Cod, Dutch Colonial Revival and Moderne, and some remain largely unaltered.
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 89000419, listed May 25, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2--9 Hobart Cir. and 11 and 23 Hobart Dr., Troy |
|---|---|
| County | Miami County |
| Listed | May 25, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000419 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Hobart Welded Steel House Co (the Hobart brothers) |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival, Cape Cod, Dutch Colonial Revival, Art Moderne ("Hobart Colonial") |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Houses are in use as single family dwellings or rentals; condition ranges from excellent to fair/poor. Some retain original features while others have replacement windows, siding and roofs. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.04308, -84.20958 (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 89000419.
- 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.