Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company
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Front of the building
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 436-438 S. Main St., Lima, Ohio |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1890 |
| Architectural style | Early Commercial |
| MPS | Lima MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001353 |
| Added to NRHP | October 7, 1982 |
The Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company Building is an old and important building in Lima, Ohio, United States. It was built way back in 1890. This building shows us what business places looked like a long time ago.
Cool Architecture Features
This building is made of brick and has two stories. The front of the building, called the facade, is divided into three sections, or bays. On each side, there are spaces that might have been storefronts. They still look much like they did when the building was first built.
In the middle of the building, there's an entrance to stairs that go up to the second floor. On each side, you can find stairs leading down to the basement. All these stairways have strong iron railings.
One special thing about the building is the fancy wrought iron railing on the second-story balcony. You can get to this balcony from the second floor through a beautiful double door. Other cool details include the windows above the doors, called transoms, and a decorative top edge, known as a cornice. All these unique features, especially the amazing ironwork, make this building stand out in Lima.
Why Was it Built?
In 1885, oil, also known as petroleum, was found near Lima. This discovery made the city's population grow very quickly! Because of this growth, many new business buildings were built fast along South Main Street.
Around the same time, lots of wooden frame houses were built in the nearby Kibby Corners neighborhood. These homes were for all the new workers who came to Lima for jobs in the growing industries. For many years, the Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company Building was used as offices for dry cleaners and plumbers.
Saving History
Today, many parts of South Main Street and the Kibby Corners area are showing their age. The city has torn down many empty buildings. Also, places like parks and streets are not as nice as they used to be because they haven't been taken care of well.
However, two buildings are exceptions to this decay: the Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company Building and the Armory-Latisona Building right next to it. These two historic buildings are seen as very important to the area's history.
In 1982, both the Armory-Latisona Building and the Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company Building were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of places in the United States that are important to history. These two buildings were part of a group of seventeen Lima buildings added at that time. The Lima Cleaning and Pressing Company Building was included because its unique architecture was still in great condition.
