Beatty Glass Company
Why it's listed
Glass has been made on this site at Fourth Avenue and Vine Street in Tiffin since 1888, when A.J. Beatty moved his company from Steubenville. Local investors raised cash and land, and Beatty was promised free natural gas and workers' housing. The plant cost $65,000 to build and poured its first glass in 1889. After a fire on May 23, 1893, it was rebuilt in 1894. The main two-story brick blow furnace building has a gable metal roof, a stone foundation, fanlight windows and a long monitor. Additions made between 1901 and 1925 surround it, along with an iron-clad wood warehouse built before 1901. The firm joined the U.S. Glass Co. trust in 1892 and later became the Tiffin Glass Company. The original furnace building is still used for glassmaking, with 18 clay melting pots and gas heat, making this the only domestic glass manufacturer on its original site in its original building.
Significance in brief: The complex is the only domestic glass manufacturer still operating on its original site in its original building. It was drawn to Tiffin in 1888 by promises of free natural gas and workers' housing, and it reflects the late 19th-century shift of Tiffin industry to the railroad-served northwest part of town. The company was once the world's largest producer of pressed glass.
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 80003217, listed January 7, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4th Ave. and Vine St., Tiffin |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | January 7, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003217 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The main blow furnace building is still used in its original capacity, with 18 clay melting pots, gas heat and working lehrs. |
| Acreage | 7.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.12236, -83.18346 (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 80003217.
- 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.