Chillicothe Veterans Administration Hospital
Also known as: United States Veterans Bureau Hospital No. 97; Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Why it's listed
Chillicothe's veterans hospital campus sits on a slight rise along State Route 104 in Ross County, Ohio. Construction began in 1922 on land transferred from Camp Sherman, a World War I training camp, and the hospital opened in 1924 to treat veterans with neuropsychiatric conditions. Of 81 resources in the historic district, 55 contribute to its character. They include two main buildings, H-shaped patient ward buildings, a recreation building, a kitchen and dining hall, residential quarters, a boiler plant, shops and garages. The buildings fall into three clusters by function: a central core, residences and maintenance and utility buildings. The original 1923 buildings are plain, while the 1938 main building is the most ornate. Buildings from the 1920s and from the 1930s through 1950 show how veterans hospital design changed, in both architecture and landscape. The hospital still serves veterans in southeast Ohio.
Significance in brief: The district is significant as an example of a Second Generation Veterans Hospital, a neuropsychiatric hospital campus type. Because it contains buildings from both Period I (early to mid-1920s) and Period II (late 1920s to 1950), it shows how veterans hospital design evolved. Its buildings use Colonial Revival and Classical Revival styles, and the campus planning moved from straight drives to curvilinear landscape forms.
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 12000110, listed March 12, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 17273 OH 104, Chillicothe |
|---|---|
| County | Ross County |
| Listed | March 12, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000110 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1922-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Construction Service, Quartermaster Corps of the Army (original buildings and campus, apparently designed for the Veterans Bureau) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival / Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still operating as a hospital (the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center); 55 of 81 resources contribute. |
| Acreage | 307 |
| Coordinates | 39.39068, -83.01963 (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 12000110.
- 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.