Old School Privy
Also known as: The Little Building; Camper Elementary Incinerator
Why it's listed
Behind Camper Elementary on Main Street in Genoa, Ohio, stands a small brick outbuilding that once served as the privy for the town's first brick school, built in 1870. Despite its humble purpose, it was designed in the Romanesque Revival style, with round-arched openings, local soft orange brick and rusticated stone trim used for the water table, steps, thresholds, sills and door arches. The rectangular plan holds four separate toilet rooms, two for students and two for faculty, each with its own door. Both gable ends have two five-panel doors with fanlight transoms, and a false chimney balances the working one that vented a pot-belly stove. It was recognized as the largest and most elegant privy in the county, and possibly the region, to survive. Its careful design reflects the civic pride of a village incorporated in 1868, which also built a grist mill in 1872 and a town hall in 1885. Restoration as a bikeway rest stop was planned.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the largest and most elegant privy in the county, if not the region, to survive. Its quality design reflects the early civic pride of Genoa, incorporated in 1868, which also showed in the Grist Mill of 1872 and the Town Hall of 1885. It is also described as one of the small comfort stations once common across the Northwest Territory.
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 75001515, listed July 31, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 310 Main St., Genoa |
|---|---|
| County | Ottawa County |
| Listed | July 31, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001515 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival (late Victorian); listed in the data sheet as vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The data sheet lists the building as not in use. Restoration was planned by the Genoa Area Bicentennial Commission for use as a rest stop on a bikeway. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.51505, -83.35940 (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.
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 75001515.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7084934
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.