Wayne County Courthouse District
Also known as: See Also:Wooster Public Square Historic District
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Why it's listed
Three Second Empire buildings form a small district at the heart of Wooster, Ohio: the Jacob Frick Building, the Wayne County Courthouse and the Wayne County Office Building. All have mansard roofs and were built between about 1865 and 1878. The Frick Building, a brick structure from around 1865, was put up by a dry goods merchant turned grain dealer and banker, with storefronts below and rental space above. The stone courthouse of 1878 replaced earlier courthouses, one lost to fire in 1828 and another condemned as unsafe in 1877. Architect Thomas Boyd designed it, W. M. Keyser built it, and it cost about $75,000. It has a five-story clock tower. The two-story Office Building, finished in 1868 and still used for county offices, lost its tower, dormers and slate roof to later alterations. Together the group was listed as a showcase of Second Empire design.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the three buildings as excellent examples of Second Empire architecture, sharing common architectural ties in the older town center. It also points to the history behind them, including merchant Jacob Frick's building and the replacement of earlier courthouses that burned or were condemned.
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 73001551, listed July 26, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Liberty and Market Sts., Wooster |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | July 26, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001551 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (buildings built circa 1866-1868) |
| Architect / builder | Thomas Boyd, architect, and W. M. Keyser, contractor (Wayne County Courthouse); Jacob Frick built the Frick Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Courthouse in good condition with extensive exterior repairs in 1909; Office Building heavily altered and houses county offices; the Frick Building's first-floor windows were recently replaced. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.79853, -81.94036 (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 73001551.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7976140
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.