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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Inventory-Nomination Form
Ravenna Commercial Center Historic Resources
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| Downtown Ravenna in 1911 |
The Etna House, the Phoenix Block and the Riddle
Blocks #1, #5, #9 and #11 are landmark buildings of Ravenna's
commercial center. Centered about both sides of Main Street between
Sycamore and Walnut streets, the business center contains about
sixty buildings, 27 of which have been listed on the Ohio Historic
Inventory as a result of a comprehensive inventory of historic
resources of this area in 1934. Many of the downtown buildings
are old structures dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries, although the majority of these buildings suffer from
storefront alterations. New buildings exist in the downtown area
as-well, some of which are comparable in terms of scale and materials
with their neighbors, while others are more disruptive in their
impact by virtue of their contemporary design and lack of sensitivity
to the pedestrian.
At present enough change has occurred in downtown
Ravenna to disqualify the area for National Register historic
district status. While the dominant commercial buildings are historic
structures, the central building in downtown Ravenna is the county
courthouse which is a modern structure dating from 
1960.
It establishes a competing theme of contemporary design which
has been emulated by many downtown structures built or modified
after 1960. These six buildings have been selected for nomination
to the National Register as the best surviving examples of historic
commercial architecture in downtown. These buildings all tend
to be larger than their neighbors, more impressive architecturally
and survive with a high degree of their exterior architectural
features intact. Storefront alteration was a major reason for
excluding other downtown buildings from this nomination. However,
to some extent, all of these six buildings have storefronts which
are modernized, although the Etna House storefronts will be restored
in 1984. The difference with these buildings is that the storefront
alterations are in most instances not structural and could readily
be removed to restore the original appearance. The one exception
is the bank storefront on the Riddle Block #1, but here enough
of the original ground level character remains (over 50%) to justify
its inclusion here; and of course the building is presently listed
on the National Register. Several downtown buildings have been
truncated by the removal of their top stories. Others have had
their upper floor fenestration pattern changed, such as the Riddle
Block #2, where projecting bays have been removed and replaced
with flush windows. It is possible that in the future some of
the downtown buildings excluded from this nomination because of
a high degree of alteration might be added to this multiple resource
nomination upon restoration of their storefronts and/or upper
floor facades.
T
he
Phoenix Block (view 5, 1846) dominates the north side of East
Main Street, stretching from Chestnut to Hickory Way. It is a
long rectangular three-story brick building and is Greek Revival
in style. The ground floor is devoted to storefronts while the
upper two floors have identical rectangular windows grouped in
a symmetrical pattern. The building is Greek Revival in style
but has numerous alterations, the earliest of which have served
to enrich the building. Large brackets were added beneath the
massive cornice atop the building sometime after the Civil War.
The central section was remodeled about 1880 to its present intricate
Italianate appearance by the addition of flamboyant: metal ornament.
The interior of this central section is used as the Odd Fellows
Hall and features elaborate frescoed walls and ceilings. The westernmost
portion of the block was enlarged in the late nineteenth century,
but the third floor was removed about 1950 and other modernizations
have been made such that the historic character is jeopardized
and this part is excluded.
The Etna House (view 1, 1865-1868) is a three-story
brick building which is "L"-shaped in plan and features
sandstone trim and wood ornament. Designed 
by
Simeon Porter, the Etna House is transitional in style from Greek
Revival to Italianate, featuring simple rectangular windows and
a massive cornice characteristic of the Greek Revival period but
also having such features as round-arch windows on the corner
section which relate to the Italianate style. The building is
crowned by a simple hip roof, which terminates in a gambrel roof
on the western end and is high enough to house a partial fourth
floor. Originally a wooden cupola rose from the corner section,
but was removed years ago; its reconstruction is proposed within
the next year. The building has been renovated into senior citizen
housing within the past two years and its ground level storefronts
are in the process of restoration based on historic photographs
and site evidence.
The Riddle Block #5 (view 2, 1870) was originally
an industrial structure built to house the Merts and Riddle Coach
and Hearse Works. It has a 
utilitarian
skin of soft red brick enlivened at the top by a corbelled brick
cornice with arcading and lentils. Its facade features regularly
spaced double-hung windows with stone lintels and sills. It is
an example of Italianate architecture. To the rear is a later
section dating from the 1880's and featuring elaborate round-arched
window openings and an abundance of stone trim. It is well integrated
to the main building in terms of scale and floor levels, but is
surprisingly well-detailed for an industrial building. The aluminum
storefront facing out, East Main Street covers but does not fundamentally
alter the original materials underneath. The new building owners
have expressed an interest in rehabilitating this block, which
would include the restoration of the original storefront.
The Riddle Block #1 (view 4, 1889) was individually
listed on the National 
Register
in 1976 and is the most elegant of the Riddle Blocks. It occupies
a commanding location at the southeast corner of Main and Chestnut
in the center of town. The building has four floors, the fenestration
of which reflects Romanesque arcading on the second and fourth
floors. It has corner towers with pyramidal roofs, steeply pitched
mansard roofs with dormers arid a polychromatic brick and stone
skin with multiple bays. The ground level storefronts are, largely
intact along Chestnut but have been altered along Main. The second
floor has office space while the upper floors contain apartments.
At the south end of the building on the top floor is a large hall,
no longer used, which once housed a ballroom.
The
Riddle Block #9 (view 3, 1911) dominates the northwest corner
of Main and Chestnut. Its upper three floors are faced with large
pilasters supporting a massive entablature. The interior has a
large light court with open stairways and balconies. The building
is used for shops on the ground floor, offices on the second floor
and 
apartments
on the upper two floors. This Neoclassical style structure is
sheathed in hard yellow brick and its rectangular windows are
grouped together vertically by paneled spandrels.
The Riddle Block #11 (view 6, 1914) features
a central pediment and a parapet with stone coping atop a simple
stone cornice. This square building, which stands at the northwest
corner of Main and Prospect, has three bays on each facade which
each contain a pair of windows on each of the upper floors. The
windows feature flared stone voussoirs with keystones. Although
they are modernized, the storefronts of this building are structural
1 intact. Stylistically the building displays Neo-Georgian influence.
The survey which identified these six buildings
as potentially eligible for the National Register was conducted
by the City of Ravenna in the spring of 1984 with assistance provided
by a grant administered by the Ohio Historic 'Preservation Office.
Active in this survey was the Ravenna Heritage Association, whose
members performed hours of valuable research on these downtown
buildings. Their names are listed on the inventory forms.
Statement of Significance:
This nomination comprises the eligible historic
commercial resources of downtown Ravenna. The buildings selected
embody the distinctive characteristics of mid-to-late nineteenth
century and early twentieth century architecture and are representative
examples of the major architectural styles of the period: Greek
Revival, Italianate, Richardsonian Romanesque and Neoclassical.
They reflect the fashions of American commercial architecture
on a scale and of a degree of embellishment appropriate for this
Northeast Ohio community.
The historic buildings included in this nomination
reflect the historical growth 
of
the city of Ravenna. The earliest building, the Phoenix Block,
dates from the period when the downtown served an agrarian economy
composed of prosperous farmers from the surrounding countryside
and a limited number of townspeople who were largely occupied
in professions which catered to these farmers. The Italianate
buildings erected after the Civil War date from an era of growing
industrialization, a time when the town grew rapidly. These include
the Etna House and the Riddle Block #5. The later years of the
century saw the construction of downtown buildings which specifically
catered to the town's new immigrant laborers who worked in the
Riddle factory and other local industries. These buildings, which
include the Riddle Blocks #1, #9 and #11, had commercial establishments
on the ground floor and apartments above. They provided much-needed
new housing to immigrant laborers until they were able to become
assimilated enough to afford single-family housing like the rest
of Ravennans.
Henry Warner Riddle was a woodworker from Allegheny, Pennsylvania
who came to Ravenna in 1860 to work in the Clark Carriage Works. He bought the
company in partnership with his brother-in-law Charles Merts a year later. By
1875 the company had become a specialist in the manufacture of hearses and produced
some of the finest and most elegantly finished hearses in the United States.
Presidents Lincoln, Hayes, Garfield and McKinley were "carried to their
resting places" in Riddle hearses. The hearses were produced in Riddle
Block #5, an attractive Italianate style commercial building dating from 1870.
Riddle channeled some of the income from his nationally successful business
into local real estate ventures. Begun as a safer means of investing than placing
his money in banks, Riddle's real estate ventures began to blossom into a downtown
building boom by the end of the century. By the time of his death in 1920, Riddle
was the largest landowner in town and his numerous blocks dominated the downtown.
Few Ohio communities have downtowns which were largely shaped by a single individual.
While the Riddle Blocks are not unified by a single architectural style, most
were designed by P.L. Frank, a prominent local builder.
The
Riddle Block #1, located in the center of town and dating from
1889, is the downtown's tallest building and is perhaps its most
visible
landmark with its tall corner tower. It is the town's largest
and most prominent example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.
The Riddle Block #9 is located diagonally opposite Block #1 at
the main intersection in town. It 
was
built shortly after a fire in 1911 destroyed a row of frame buildings
on the site. It is an unusually tall and large structure for a
town of this size. The Etna House, dating from 1865-1868, is a
rare surviving example of Civil War-era hotel architecture. Designed
by the well-known Western Reserve architect Simeon Porter, this
building features unusually fine and sophisticated detailing.
The Phoenix Block is an unusually long row of Greek Revival commercial
buildings and is perhaps one of the largest surviving commercial
buildings of its era in the region. It is historically significant
as Ravenna's first large-scale brick commercial building, replacing
earlier wood frame buildings on the site. It is likely that this
is the downtown's oldest building, as it dates from 1846.
Ravenna was established in 1799 by Benjamin
Tappan and was named for Ravenna, Italy, a town that had been
visited by Tappan's fiancee. Tappan laid out the new community
in a fairly conventional gridiron; land sales were brisk and the
community flourished. In 1808 the town became the county seat
of newly-established Portage County and soon thereafter became
one of the principal communities of the Western Reserve. The town
was incorporated in 1853 but its industrial growth did not get
firmly established until after the Civil War. By the end of the
century Ravenna had four rail lines passing 
through
the city and several flourishing industries. The downtown was
by this time a regional trading center. By 1920 all the major
downtown landmarks (except those of the Postwar era) had been
constructed and there was little construction from this time until
the end of the Second World War. In the Postwar era Ravenna's
downtown has undergone a steady erosion of its role as the region's
leading trading center as newer strip shopping centers became
established. However, it remains as the most visible and active
commercial center in Portage County.
This nomination highlights downtown Ravenna
because of this area's central role in the growth and development
of the community. It contains the original platted village and
therefore some of the oldest buildings in the city. The downtown
area is also the sole location of historic commercial resources
in 
Ravenna,
although historic residences and churches can be found in other
parts of the community. This area also enjoys identification with
Ravenna unique in comparison with other parts of the community
because of its status as the commercial center of the community
and surrounding countryside, a destination for retail and business
activity. The downtown has also been a focus in recent years for
revitalization efforts. The city has commissioned this nomination
of eligible commercial resources in the hope that it may encourage
renovation of significant downtown buildings and help to stimulate
a greater awareness of and appreciation for the downtown area
on the part of local citizens.
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