High Street Commercial Block facts for kids
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High Street Commercial Block
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Front of the block
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 216-226, 228, 232, and 236 High St., Hamilton, Ohio |
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| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1874 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000113 (original) 14000292 (increase) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 3, 2004 |
| Boundary increase | May 23, 2014 |
The High Street Commercial Block is a special group of old buildings in downtown Hamilton, Ohio. It's like a mini historic district because these buildings are important to the area's history. There are three main buildings here: the old Second National Bank Building, the Howell-Sohngen Building, and McCrory's.
All three buildings are made of brick or stone and have three floors. They were built in a style called Italianate, which was popular a long time ago. You'll notice they all have arched windows on their top floors. However, each building is a bit different. Some have rectangular windows too, and their decorative tops, called cornices, are unique. The buildings on the left and in the middle have fronts divided into three sections on their upper floors. The building on the right is wider, with five sections across its front. This historic block is right across the street from a newer bank building built in the 1930s.
Exploring the High Street Commercial Block
A historic district is an area with buildings that are important because of their history or special design. The High Street Commercial Block is one such place. It shows off the cool architecture from the late 1800s.
The buildings here might look similar, but they have their own unique touches. For example, the building on the left has one window in each section on its upper floors. The middle building has one window in the second-floor sections and two smaller windows in the third-floor sections. These small differences make the block interesting to look at.
The McCrory's Building Story
The building on the far right of the block used to be a McCrory's Variety Store around 1930. We don't know the names of the businesses that were there before McCrory's. This building is one of the few in Hamilton built in the Neo-Renaissance style.
It's made of brick with a strong stone base and a flat roof. Much of the outside is covered in stone, and it has five big arched windows on its upper floors. The very bottom part of the building has changed a lot since it was built in 1875. However, the upper floors still look much like they did originally. You can see cool details like a metal entablature and a cornice supported by decorative brackets.
In 1983, experts from the Ohio Historical Society looked at the building. They thought it was in good shape, but they didn't think it was special enough for a federal historic site award at that time. Even so, when the High Street Commercial Block became a historic district and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, the McCrory's building was included. It was recognized for its unique architecture and its role in Hamilton's past. The historic district was even made bigger in 2014 to include more buildings on High Street.
 | Calvin Brent |
 | Walter T. Bailey |
 | Martha Cassell Thompson |
 | Alberta Jeannette Cassell |
