Wagner Brothers Bottling Works
Why it's listed
Built in 1901, this two-story brick building on Benner Street in Tiffin, Ohio, was the home of the Wagner Brothers Bottling Works. Christian and Anthony J. Wagner built it, and they lived in a brick house just to the north, so the business and the residence shared an address for several years. The firm made and bottled soda water and soft drinks and held the first Coca-Cola franchise in Tiffin; by the 1940s it was known as the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. The building is irregularly, roughly wedge-shaped, with brick bearing walls in stretcher bond, a rock-faced stone foundation, nine bays across the front, mostly double-hung 2/2 windows with segmental brick arches, and a basement. Later uses included a vending machine company in 1950 and an appliance store in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is described as being in fair condition and now vacant. It was included among Tiffin's early industrial buildings.
Significance in brief: The building is one of the surviving industrial buildings in Tiffin dating from after 1900. It housed the Wagner Brothers soda water and soft drink business, which held the first Coca-Cola franchise in Tiffin. The firm was later known as the Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
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 80003230, listed January 7, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 250--258 Benner St., Tiffin |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | January 7, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003230 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Christian and Anthony J. Wagner (builders/owners) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in fair condition; the building is now vacant after several commercial uses. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.11479, -83.18380 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 80003230.
- 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.