Island House
Also known as: Island House Motor Inn; O.h.i. #ott-232-10
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 at the corner of Perry and Madison Streets, the Island House is a three-story red brick hotel in Port Clinton, Ohio. It replaced an earlier wooden Island House that burned in 1882. The building sits on a limestone foundation and shows late Italianate design: rows of segmental-arch windows with stone sills, multicolored brick lintels, a cutaway corner bay, scroll-cut canopy brackets, wrought iron balconies and a cornice with corbeled brickwork, dentils and modillions. A Colonial Revival addition came in 1940 and a south annex around 1945-47, while the dining room keeps its original pressed metal ceiling. It was listed for architecture because it is one of the best commercial Italianate buildings in a downtown shaped by the growth years of 1875 to 1915, when railroads boosted quarrying, fishing and farming. It was the city's best-known commercial landmark and its only historic hotel to survive in original use for over a century. The form lists its current use as vacant.
Significance in brief: It is nominated under Criterion C as an exemplar of late Italianate commercial design in Port Clinton. It reflects the 1875-1915 era of the city's greatest growth and has high integrity. It is the largest and most prominent historic hotel in the city and the only one to keep its original use and name for over 100 years.
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 08000623, listed July 2, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 102 Madison St., Port Clinton |
|---|---|
| County | Ottawa County |
| Listed | July 2, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000623 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1886 - 1945/47 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.51310, -82.94143 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 08000623.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q130772565
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.