Mellett-Canton Daily News Building
Why it's listed
Rising five stories along Dewalt Street on the western edge of downtown Canton, this brick and terra cotta building was constructed in 1912 to house the Canton Daily News. Its dark brown facing brick, molded terra cotta courses, curved corners with curved windows, and classical entrances give it a distinctive commercial character. Aluminum window frames added around 1950 are the main exterior changes. The building matters mainly for the newspaper it served. Industrialist H. H. Timken reorganized the paper in 1912 to give Progressive views a voice, and former governor James Cox bought it in 1923. His publisher, Don Mellett, ran exposés of ties between criminals and the police department. Mellett was shot outside his garage in July 1926, and four men were later convicted of conspiracy, including the police chief. Cox sold the paper in 1930, and the name disappeared. Much of downtown Canton has been lost to urban renewal, so this building survives as the sole physical reminder of that reform-era story.
Significance in brief: It was the original home of the Canton Daily News, a Progressive, crusading newspaper. Its publisher, Pulitzer Prize winner Don R. Mellett, was murdered in 1926 after a muckraking campaign against Canton corruption. With the paper's disappearance, the building is the only physical remnant of this episode in Canton and Ohio reform history.
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 83002058, listed April 21, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 401 W. Tuscarawas St., Canton |
|---|---|
| County | Stark County |
| Listed | April 21, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83002058 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architectural style | Polychromatic commercial style |
| Areas of significance | Communications, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in commercial use, with good condition and some alterations, including aluminum-framed street-level windows installed around 1950. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.79914, -81.37609 (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 83002058.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138685040
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.