Hanson Machinery Company
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Hanson Machinery Company occupies a machine shop, foundry and assembly complex at Wall and Miami Streets in Tiffin, Ohio. Brothers Milton B. and Clifford O. Hanson began making friction clutches in April 1914 in a small downtown shop at Court and Jefferson Streets, with three employees. In spring 1916 they bought land at Wall and Miami Streets and built the two-story common-bond brick machine shop and foundry, which has parapets, a concrete foundation and 21 bays across the front. Four assembly buildings followed in 1927, 1929, 1942 and 1944, along with an office building. The firm built a full-revolving shovel in 1924 and, according to the nomination, the first gasoline-powered full-revolving three-eighths cubic yard shovel in the United States. It also introduced solid-tire and pneumatic-tired heavy-duty trailers in 1928 and 1930. The complex is listed as part of a group of Tiffin industrial buildings that together show the city's economic development.
Significance in brief: It is one of thirteen buildings and complexes nominated as the most important old industrial concerns in Tiffin. The Hanson firm began making friction clutches in 1914 and went on to build shovels, cranes and heavy trailers, including what the nomination calls the first full-revolving gasoline-powered shovel in the United States. The complex illustrates the city's shift from a small agricultural trading center to a specialized industrial center.
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 80003219, listed January 7, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 235 Miami St., Tiffin |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | January 7, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003219 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The company still operates at the site; the nomination says no original machinery remains except possibly a milling machine dating from 1920, which has not been proven. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.12029, -83.18815 (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 80003219.
- 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.