Nomination for Ashland County Courthouse

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 REV.

(9/77) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECEIVEONOV 1 5 1979 INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS AND/OR COMMON 2 LOCATION STREET & NUMBER -NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY, TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - VICINITY OF 17 - John Ashbrook PRESENT USE *BUILDING(S) -WORK IN PROGRESS _PRIVATE RESIDENCE PUBLIC ACQUISITION -IN PROCESS - YES: RESTRICTED -BEING CONSIDERED X YES: UNRESTRICTED OWNER OF PROPERTY Ohio 44805 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS 005 44906 039 CODE BOTH COUNTY DATE STATE Ashland CLASSIFICATION Mansfield HISTORIC ACCESSIBLE CATEGORY EDUCATIONAL UNOCCUPIED NAME OWNERSHIP SCIENTIFIC STRUCTURE ENTERTAINMENT PARK INDUSTRIAL RELIGIOUS COMMERCIAL Ohio GOVERNMENT Ashland County Commissioners PRIVATE STATUS Ohio Historic Inventory March 1979 COURTHOUSE.

Ashland County Courthouse _TRANSPORTATION West Second Street TITLE _DISTRICT - MILITARY _OBJECT XPUBLIC -OTHER: -SITE DEC 2 1 1979 REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC. FEDERAL XXSTATE COUNTY LOCAL AGRICULTURE Ohio State University Mansfield Campus - MUSEUM DESCRIPTION X EXCELLENT DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

although it is located on a small rise, a view of the courthouse from Main Street is probably be accounted for because Ashland County was one of the last formed in Ohio, The courthouse is basically in the shape of a large rectangle, but with slight projections The exterior ornament is severely simple, although classical in derivation. The basement building is through a very shallow two story portico set in antis by large pilasters. continues on the sides and rear, with additional grade level entrances on these sides. vestibule is a large public space richly ornamented with a coffered ceiling, marble The only other structure on the block is a civil war monument constructed of granite and about twenty feet high. Erected in the late nineteenth century, the monument is typical of those erected in northern cities following the Civil War.

CONDITION DETERIORATED The walls rise up to form parapets around the building, concealing a flat composition roof. light gray Indiana limestone, laid up in large smooth slabs creating crisp planar surfaces. XUNALTERED blocked by commercial buildings.This secondary location of the county courthouse can XORIGINAL SITE excellent condition with virtually no changes, a single exception being that suspended The Ashland County Courthouse is a large public building located just northwest of across the front and.five bays wide on the sides.,It isa masonry.building faced with unlike other nearby county seats, the courthouse is not located on or adjacent to a CHECK ONE - UNEXPOSED - MOVEDDATE ceilings have been introduced in some of the offices.

Ashland's commercial center.The building is situated in the center of a small city panelling with brass trim and four large chandeliers.The second floor.hallway has a large skylight overhead.The corridors and public spaces have terrazo floors with -GOOD -FAIR years after this town was originally laid out. a pair of carved eagles and the building's name. The same window and pilaster treatment walls and two open stairways. The main courtroom, on the second floor, features mahogany public square or the town center. It does not front onto a major thoroughfare and, at the front and rear. The building has two principal floors and a raised basement which the portico is a spacious terrace with a stone balustrade. It is reached by a broad DATE The interior is simple and functional office space with two exceptions.The front is only sightly.below grade and contains.

offices.: The building is fifteen bays wide groupings of two by broad pilasters.The pilasters support a massive entablature, story forms a visual base for the building by its slight projection and smooth unornamented -RUINS AREAS OF

Statement of significance

The Ashland County Courthouse is a major architectural landmark in Ashland, has important added prominence. The scale and ornament, along with the building's frequent public this style is derived largely from the Greek Revival, sharing many common elements and perfected in the Greek Revival style. Like buildings in the Greek Revival style, this a dome, a large clock and the ubiquitous statue of the Goddess of Justice. Economy must have also been a factor in the design of the building.-For even with its simple, restrained appearance and functional arrangement of spaces, a major criticism of the project was launched by Judge Mansfield, a member of the building conmittee, who after state inspectors condemned the old courthouse, a bond issue of $325,000 was Martin L.

Davey, candidate for governor of Ohio, and the building was completed the 1928-29 ENGINEERING ECONOMICS CONSERVATION ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC AGRICULTURE SCIENCE PERIOD THEATER COMMUNICATIONS ART POLITICS/GOVERNMENT SIGNIFICANCE INDUSTRY INVENTION EDUCATION 1900- EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT COMMERCE Stylistically, the Ashland County Courthouse reflects the stripped Neoclassicism popular LITERATURE following year.

raised basement story as a base, the groupings of windows between pilasters and the PREHISTORIC Neoclassical or Art Deco courthouse architecture.It is one of Ashland's largest public thirty years earlier, became the county seat.A small Methodist Church on this site was first used as the courthouse for several years.In 1852 a brick courthouse was erected capping of the building with a simple massive entablature are all techniques that were -TRANSPORTATION buildings and its location on a rise in the center of a city block gives the building - 1700-1799 -1500-1599 of money...(and) there are altogether too many restrooms."* complained that"the building is too ornamental......the terrace(is) an entire waste -1600-1699 -1400-1499 *Report of the Building Committee for the new Ashland County Courthouse."1928. The first effort to build a new courthouse was in 1914.

Finally, in the fall of 1927, many of Ohio's pre Civil War courthouses were replaced by much grander buildings. -PHILOSOPHY - RELIGION - MILITARY -LAW usage, make the Ashland County Courthouse a prime landmark in Ashland. Ashland County was formed in 1846 from land taken from Richland, Wayne, Lorain and Huron counties. The village of Ashland, largest community in the new county and founded over associations with the history of Ashland County and is a rare example in Ohio of late in the late 1920's and the 1930's. Sometimes referred to as Art Deco or late Neoclassical, displaying the same characteristics of simplicity and massiveness.

The use of a simple building has sacrificed popular iconographic symbols in favor of a simple unified approved for the erection of a new building.Ground was broken July 6,1928 by on this square for $20,0o0.It was a curious combination of Greek Revival and Italianate 9

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Howe, Henry, Historical Collections of Ohio, Vol. 1. Cincinnati: C. J. Krehbiel & Co., 1888., page 252. Duff, William A., History of North Central Ohio. Ashland, Ohio, 1931. Commrs., 1929. 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 2 QUADRANGLE SCALE 1:24,000 VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Street on the West, Church Street on the east and Third Street on the north.

11 FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE Steven McQuillin, Regional Preservation Officer STREET & NUMBER (419) 755-4011 CITY OR TOWN 12 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS LOCAL NATIONAL - As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the.National Historic Preservation.Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), 1 criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER KEEP ER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 921-803 ORGANIZATION DATE CODE TELEPHONE Mansfield NORTHING STATE COUNTY ATTEST: March 1979 1660 University Drive ZONE EASTING UTM NOT VERIFIED UTM REFERENCES "Reports of the Building Committee for the New Ashland County Courthouse'.Ashland Co. pages 98-99.

Ohio State University Mansfield Campus CHIEE OF RECISTRATION Courthouse and a civil war monument. It is bounded by Second Street on the south, Cottage LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the NationalRegister and certify that it has been evaluated according to the ZONE The nominated property consists of a small rectangular city block containing the Ashland Co Ohio44906 Photos - Inventory - DEC 2 1 1979 CONTROL OTHER KEEPER Entered HAER Maps ARCHEOLOGIST Re-submit Send-back HISTORIAN Review Federal Register Entry 2-3-8 BRANCH CHIEF TECHNICAL National Register Write-up REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Working Number /1-15-79 2754 ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN 121829 12.18.79 Front, looking northeast 7. ACCH-1 Ohio State Univ.

Mansfield Campus Ashland County Courthouse Steven McQuillin March 1979 Ashland,Ohio NOV 1 5 1979 Ashland,® Ohio 7. AACH-2 NOV 1 5 1979 Ashland County Courthouse Ohio State Univ. Mansfield Campus Rear, looking southeast Steven McQuillin March 1979 DEC 21 1979 AUDITOR OBEDIENCE TO THE- 2 Ashland,"Ohio 4 Steven McQuillin 6 Interior - lobby, looking north 7 ACCH - 3 1 Ashland Count Cowrhowe 1 Ashland County Courthouse 2 Ashland, Ohio NOV 15 Southwest 7 ACCH-4 DEC 4 Steven McQuillin OHIO-ASHLAND CO Scale: 1:24,000 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ASHLAND SOUTH QUADRANGLE UNITED STATES STATE OF OHIO ASHLAND SOUTH, OHITC 7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC) NOV 1 5 1979 0 1961 DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES STATE OHIO Kerr, Benjamin F., House Honorable Howard M. Metzenbaum Honorable John Glenn, Jr. Mr. David Brook Honorable Thomas A.

Luken Columbus, Ohio 43211 Location Byers/bjr Dayton Licking County Newark Hewson-Gutting House Ashland Date Entered Cincinnati Name Grand Rapids Ashland County State Historic Preservation Officer Montgomery County Wood County Kossuth Colony Historic District Ashland County Courthouse The Ohio Historical Society Honorable John M. Ashbrook Hull Place Honorable Delbert L. Latta Hamilton County Interstate 7l at 17th Avenue For further information, please call the National Register at (202)343-640l. Also Notified ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER Honorable Tony P. Hall 1/8/80