Athens Governmental Buildings

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Athens Governmental Buildings
County Courthouse Athens OH USA.JPG
Athens County Courthouse, one of the Governmental Buildings
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationE. State, E. Washington, Court, and W. Union Sts, Athens, Ohio
Coordinates 39°19′35″N82°6′2″W / 39.32639°N 82.10056°W / 39.32639; -82.10056
Area3.9 acres (1.6 ha)
Built1804
Architect James Knox Taylor; John G. Unkefer and Company
Architectural style Italian Villa, Romanesque and Classical Revival
NRHP reference No. 79001782 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 29, 1979

The Athens Governmental Buildings are a complex of buildings in central Athens, Ohio, United States. Among these buildings are the Athens County Courthouse, the Athens City Hall, and the former post office, now Haning Hall of Ohio University. The current post office is a much more recent building away from the town center, on East Stimson Avenue. Together, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. [1]

Contents

The oldest of the buildings included, the Silas Bingham House, also known as the old log courthouse, was built in 1804. The Athens County Courthouse was built during 1877–80. The Athens City Hall, built in the 1800s, was one of few city halls that old in southern Ohio which were still in use in 1999. Haning Hall is a former post office. [2]

The Silas Bingham House

The Bingham house is the oldest house in Athens and is an excellent example of an early two-story log building. [3] Silas Bingham was an early figure in Athens history, arriving in Athens in 1797 after serving in the Revolutionary War and becoming the first sheriff of Athens County. [4] Bingham was paid $4 on June 11, 1806 for use of a room for court related meetings and in October of 1806 was paid $12 to furnish a room that could be used for court for a year. [5] The Bingham house has many ties to Ohio University. It was also the residence of Robert G. Wilson (Ohio University's third president) from 1824 to 1839 and John Newton Templeton (the first Black graduate of Ohio University) in 1928. [4] [3]

The house was originally built on South College Street but was moved to 118 East State Street in 1853. Today the house is located at 97 Richland Ave, at the intersection of Richland Ave, South Shafer Street, and South Green Drive. [3] The building was bought by Ohio University in 1987, the same year it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. [6] It was used for a time as the University Visitor Center and today houses the University's Office of Sustainability. The building is open to visitors. [6] The first floor is decorated like a 19th century home with furniture and decorations made in the early 1800s. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ Lorrie K. Owen, ed. (1999). Ohio Historic Places Dictionary, Volume 2. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 39. ISBN   9781878592705.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Silas Bingham House Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bingham House | Ohio University". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
  5. ↑ Beatty, Elizabeth; Stone (1994). Getting to Know Athens County (2nd ed.). Athens, Ohio: The Stone House. pp. 37–44.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. 1 2 "House of History". projects.thepostathens.com. Retrieved 2025-03-04.


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