Richland Trust Building
Why it's listed
Rising eight stories above the northwest corner of North Main Street and Park Avenue West in Mansfield, this steel-frame bank building was completed in 1929. Althouse and Jones designed it with a terra-cotta exterior, a two-story base with a round-arched arcade, recessed spandrels on the shaft, and Gothic-style ornament above the top-floor windows. A low gable-roofed penthouse gives the top a stepped look. It was built for the Richland Trust Co., formed in 1929 when the Richland Savings Bank, opened in 1898, merged with the Bank of Mansfield, opened in 1893. It stands on the site of the earlier Odd Fellows Hall. Together with the Farmers Savings & Trust building nearby, it is one of Mansfield's only modernistic skyscrapers, and it marks the end of the 1920s building boom and the westward shift of the commercial center along Park Avenue. Street-level windows and the banking hall interior have been altered.
Significance in brief: It is described as one of Mansfield's two modernistic skyscrapers, built at the end of the 1920s downtown building boom with terra-cotta cladding and Gothic motifs. It reflects the shift of the commercial center toward Park Avenue West and the consolidation of smaller banks in a prosperous era. It also housed one of the city's three major banks.
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 83002044, listed July 8, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3 Park Ave., W., Mansfield |
|---|---|
| County | Richland County |
| Listed | July 8, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83002044 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Althouse and Jones |
| Architectural style | Modernistic (also described as Neo-gothic terra-cotta decoration) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Inventory lists the building as in bank use with exterior condition good; street-level windows and the main banking hall interior have been altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Mansfield Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.75876, -82.51574 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 83002044.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85797196
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.