Fort Ball-Railroad Historic Disrict
Why it's listed
This historic district occupies the west bank of the Sandusky River in Tiffin, Ohio, and combines a residential neighborhood with a railroad area. It covers about 48 acres and roughly 160 buildings built between about 1830 and 1915. The river was widened in 1915, and many houses that faced Frost Parkway, then Water Street, were moved, opening a grassy boulevard along the water. The housing reflects a wide range of styles. Examples include the 1837 Erastus Bowe House in Greek Revival style, the 1840 Glen-Barnes house in Federal style, the 1857-1859 James Pelan House, the only Gothic Revival building in the district, and several Italianate and Second Empire homes. Queen Anne houses are among the best in the city, led by the Judge George Seney House on Clay Street. The northern part holds railroad stations, freight houses and a few outbuildings, ringed by industrial and commercial buildings. A few modern intrusions are noted.
Significance in brief: The visible text shows a district with some of the city's best examples of nineteenth-century styles, especially Queen Anne, along with early Greek Revival and Federal houses. It also includes a railroad area with stations and freight houses. The statement of significance itself is truncated, so the full argument is not available.
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 79001944, listed June 20, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Sandusky River, Perry, Sandusky and Washington Sts., Tiffin |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | June 20, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001944 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | John King, master builder of the Seneca County Courthouse and Heidelberg's College Hall, is named as owner-builder of the 1895 house at 33 Adams Street. |
| Architectural style | Varied nineteenth and early twentieth century styles: Greek Revival, Federal, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are occupied; the Big Four Passenger Depot is noted as possibly vacant or used for storage. The Rezin Shawhan House is now the Seneca County Museum. |
| Acreage | 48 |
| Coordinates | 41.11636, -83.18187 (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 79001944.
- 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.