Douglas, S.M., House
Why it's listed
This 2 1/2-story wood frame house at 437 Park Avenue West in Mansfield, Ohio, was built around 1885 in the Queen Anne style. It has a complex hip roof of slate, clapboard siding, an irregular plan and a stone foundation. Numerous porches, stained glass windows and a tall corner tower give it distinction. The front porch has Ionic columns, turned baluster rails and a small decorative pediment, and a small second-floor porch with ornate wood railings sits between the projecting front gable and the tower. The tower is an unequal octagon, one of few on the street with that shape, and the variety of sidings and porches distinguishes the house from others of its period on the avenue. The house was listed under S. M. Douglas in 1895. It has been altered inside and has shown some deterioration, partly from moisture held by shrubs near the porch, yet it keeps many original features and is valued as a good example of wood frame Queen Anne design.
Significance in brief: The inventory describes it as a good example of wood frame Queen Anne architecture that keeps many original features despite alterations. Its unequal octagonal corner tower, one of few on the street with that shape, and its variety of sidings and porches set it apart from other houses of the period on the avenue and in the city.
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 83002030, listed July 8, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 437 Park Ave., W., Mansfield |
|---|---|
| County | Richland County |
| Listed | July 8, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83002030 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as apartments in the inventory, with poor exterior condition; later comments say some deterioration came from moisture held by large shrubs near the front porch and that a collapsed retaining wall accounted for much of the earlier deterioration remark. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.75873, -82.53168 (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.
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 83002030.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138662420
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.