Gustavus Center Historic District
Also known as: The Center
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Gustavus Center is a small crossroads hamlet in Trumbull County, Ohio, where Routes 193 and 87 meet. About 25 buildings, shaded by mature trees, face a four-part green and are surrounded by open farmland. Josiah Pelton of Connecticut settled the area in 1800, and it grew into a nearly self-sufficient farming community with mills, a tannery, a foundry and a cheese trade. Most of those enterprises have vanished, but the houses and institutions remain. The Greek revival buildings include the 1832 George Hezlep House, the 1840 Farmers' Exchange Store, a fraternal hall, two churches built by Alfred Morey in the 1850s, and an eclectic 1892 Town Hall. Smaller vernacular houses line the road toward Kinsman. Hard roads arrived in 1914 and the automobile drew commerce elsewhere, so the Center escaped later development. The district was listed because it preserves the look of a 19th-century Western Reserve township center, with only a few modern intrusions.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the Center is significant because it was bypassed by the economic development of the twentieth century. The result is a largely intact group of 19th-century buildings, with grander Greek revival structures around the Green and simpler vernacular houses along the Kinsman road. Together they convey the look of a rural Western Reserve township 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 75001542, listed August 6, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Town of Gustavus situated at jct. of OH 193 and OH 87, Gustavus and vicinity |
|---|---|
| County | Trumbull County |
| Listed | August 6, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001542 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1830-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Alfred Morey (Methodist and Congregational Churches); Stoddard Stevens (Farmers' Exchange Store); Mr Camp (Town Hall); George Hezlep (house) |
| Architectural style | Greek revival, Federal-Greek revival, Gothic revival, eclectic, and local vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good; most major buildings are being cared for. Intrusions are a telephone booth and a badly remodeled store, and the Academy and a church have been demolished. |
| Acreage | 36.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.46168, -80.66299 (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 75001542.
- 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.