Marysville Historic District
Why it's listed
Downtown Marysville's historic core combines a commercial center, a civic and church area, and a residential street. The commercial blocks around the Public Square at Main and Fifth Streets are mostly two and three story late nineteenth century buildings, many Italianate or Romanesque Revival in style, including the 1864 Union Block and the 1870 and 1883 Houston Building. The 1896 Liggett Building, built by the Sharrer Brothers Construction Company, stands out for its polychrome brick and terra cotta. To the west, the 1883 French Second Empire Union County Courthouse anchors an area of churches, a 1909 Carnegie library and the 1846 Cyprian Lee House, the oldest brick building in town. West Fifth Street holds the finest homes built before 1910. The district was valued for its architectural unity, for its link to local figures such as Christopher Houston and Josiah Morelock, and for the courthouse. Platted in 1819, the town kept its commercial center at the Public Square.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for the architectural unity of its late nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial buildings. It is also significant for the local importance of the people who lived on West Fifth and West Sixth Streets around 1900, and for the architectural unity of their homes. The Union County Courthouse adds visual dominance and architectural quality.
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 78002201, listed February 1, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Maple, Plum, 4th, and 7th Sts., Marysville |
|---|---|
| County | Union County |
| Listed | February 1, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002201 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Sharrer Brothers Construction Company (Liggett Building) |
| Architectural style | Italianate commercial, Romanesque Revival, Gothic Commercial, French Second Empire, Neo-Classical Revival and other styles |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked good and altered. Several modern intrusions exist, and West Fifth Street homes are being adapted to offices and multi-family use. |
| Acreage | 24 |
| Coordinates | 40.23573, -83.36696 (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 78002201.
- 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.