Brick Tavern House

Last updated
Brick Tavern House
Brick Tavern House in Belmont County Ohio.JPG
Front of the tavern before restoration
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location U.S. Route 40 west of St. Clairsville, Ohio
Coordinates 40°4′23.5″N80°58′58″W / 40.073194°N 80.98278°W / 40.073194; -80.98278
AreaLess than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1831 (1831)
Architectural style Greek Revival
NRHP reference No. 95001330 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 22, 1995

The Brick Tavern House is a former inn on the National Road west of St. Clairsville, Ohio, United States. One of the oldest National Road taverns still in existence, it was built in the early nineteenth century. Although it fell into dilapidation during the late twentieth century, it was named a historic site in 1995, and extensive restoration was to be performed in the early 2010s but to date, has not been.

The tavern's construction date varies widely in different sources. A history of Belmont County published in 1903 proposed that it had been built in 1812; [2] the U.S. Department of Transportation believes that it was constructed in 1828; [3] a restoration firm, Centennial Preservation Group, states that it was erected in 1825; [4] and the National Park Service gives its construction year as 1831. [1] Built of brick on a foundation of sandstone, the tavern is covered with a tin roof and features elements of sandstone and slate. [5] The two-and-a-half-story building features a gabled roof, while the overall design includes a rear ell faced by porches on both sides. [3]

Numerous taverns were constructed along the National Road in its earliest years, as the road saw its golden years between 1825 and 1845. However, the coming of railroads later in the century relegated the road to a farm track by 1900, and its businesses and towns were reduced to serving only local needs. Although it survived the neglect of long-distance travelers, the Brick Tavern House gradually fell into dilapidation; by 2012, its windows were boarded up, and the entire structure was tending toward collapse, [6] even though it was part of the campus of Ohio University East. [7] To save the building, the university applied for historic preservation grants from the federal government, and in September 2006 the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that they had been awarded $128,000 for restoration. [3] Restoration was forced to wait; early 2012 saw the tavern still deteriorating amid a protracted bidding process. [6] Ultimately, the Belmont County Commissioners agreed to permit bidding for renovation, including roof repairs, in April 2012, [8] and construction had been finished by June of the following year. Work was performed by Centennial Preservation Group, [4] with assistance by Hays Landscape Architecture. [9]

In 1995, amid its deterioration, the Brick Tavern House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying because of its place in local history; a secondary building was included with the tavern in the designation. [1] Part of its historical importance derives from its location next door to the Great Western Schoolhouse, another National Register-listed building; local school districts use the schoolhouse for field trips, and the restoration grant was awarded in hopes that the renovated tavern might become a museum in connection with the schoolhouse. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont County Courthouse</span> Local government building in the United States

The Belmont County Courthouse is located at 101 West Main Street in St. Clairsville, Ohio, United States. It sits on the highest point in the St. Clairsville area and is thus visible from Interstate 70 and many other points in the Ohio Valley. It is a contributing property in the St. Clairsville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont–Paul Women's Equality National Monument</span> National Historic Site of the United States

The Belmont–Paul Women's Equality National Monument is a historic house and museum of the U.S. women's suffrage and equal rights movements located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The monument is named after suffragists and National Woman's Party leaders Alva Belmont and Alice Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles H. Moore House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The Charles H. Moore House is a historic residence in the city of Wyoming, Ohio, United States. Built in 1910 and home for a short time to a leading oilman, it has been designated a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Stearns House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The William Stearns House is a historic residence in the city of Wyoming, Ohio, United States, near Cincinnati. Built at the turn of the twentieth century, it was the home of a business baron, and it has been designated a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tangeman House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The John Tangeman House is a historic house in the city of Wyoming, Ohio, United States. The city's best house of its style, the residence was once home to a prosperous factory owner, and it has been named a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Oaks (Wyoming, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

Twin Oaks, also known as the "Robert Reily House", is a historically significant residence in the city of Wyoming, located near Cincinnati in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. Constructed in the middle of the nineteenth century, it was the home of Robert Reily, one of the leading citizens of early Wyoming. Its heavy stone architecture features a mix of two important architectural styles of the period, and it has been named a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howe Tavern (College Corner, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

The Howe Tavern is a historic former hotel in the Butler County portion of College Corner, Ohio, United States. Constructed before the village was founded, it remained a hotel into the late 20th century, and it has been named a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James D. Conrey House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The James D. Conrey House is a historic house located on an old intercity road in southeastern Butler County, Ohio, United States. Although the identification is unclear, it may have once been a tavern on the road, which connects Cincinnati and Columbus. A well-preserved piece of the road's built environment, it has been designated a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Schoolhouse</span> United States historic place

Anderson Schoolhouse is a registered historic building near Ashland, Ohio, listed in the National Register of Historic Places on 1977-03-25. It is located at 1202 US 42 South, in Milton Township, Ashland County, Ohio. It was known as the No. 5 district out of seven in the township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Kent, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple in Kent, Ohio is a historic building which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built between 1880 and 1882 in the Italianate style, it was originally the home of Kent namesake Marvin Kent and his family. Construction was performed partially by locals and partly by master craftsmen from afar: the architect was Isaac Tuttle of neighboring Ravenna, but interior woodworking was performed by woodworkers brought from New York City. Members of Kent's family lived at the house for slightly more than forty years before selling it to a Masonic lodge in 1923. Due to Marvin Kent's national prominence in the Republican Party, many political leaders visited his house, including Presidents Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding; the guest room in which every president slept has been named the "President's Room" and preserved in its late nineteenth-century condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skinner-Tinkham House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Skinner-Tinkham House, commonly known as the Barre Center Tavern, is located at Maple Street and Oak Orchard Road in Barre Center, New York, United States. It is a brick house in the Federal style built around 1830. It was renovated after the Civil War, which brought some Italianate touches to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Kirkwood House</span> Historic house in Ohio, United States

The Joseph Kirkwood House is a historic house in the village of Bridgeport, Ohio, United States. Originally home to one of the area's oldest families, it was built in the middle of the nineteenth century in a mix of architectural styles. Named a historic site in the 1980s, it has been converted into a health care facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concord Hicksite Friends Meeting House</span> United States historic place

The Concord Hicksite Friends Meeting House is a historic Friends meeting house located near the community of Colerain, Ohio, United States. Constructed in 1815 for a group formed in 1801, it has been named a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Baptist Church (Mechanicsburg, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

Second Baptist Church is a historic church building in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. Constructed in the mid-19th century, it is the oldest church in the village, and it has been named a historic site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Wells House</span> Historic building in Wellston, Ohio

The Harvey Wells House is a historic residence in the city of Wellston in the southern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Built in 1883, it was the home of Harvey Wells, a local entrepreneur who founded the city of Wellston in the 1870s with the goal of making it into the region's leading metropolis. Located on the A Street Hill, the house occupies one of the highest points in the city of Wellston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller's Tavern</span> United States historic place

Miller's Tavern, now known as Brooke County Historical Museum, is a historic inn and tavern located at Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia. It was built in 1797, and is a two-story, rectangular brick building with a hipped roof. It sits on a sandstone foundation and lintels. It is one of the Ohio Valley's oldest surviving examples of Federal architecture. It has housed the Brooke County Historical Museum since 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse</span> United States historic place in Yavapai County, Arizona

Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse is a building in Mayer, Arizona. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004. It is considered the longest used schoolhouse in Arizona, having been in operation for over eighty years. Due to its physical mass and prominent hillside location, it is "the most visible and identifiable building" in the small unincorporated town and the town's largest building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powhatan Historic State Park</span> State park in Arkansas, United States

Powhatan Historic State Park is a 9.1-acre (3.7 ha) Arkansas state park in Lawrence County, Arkansas in the United States. The park contains the 1888 Powhatan courthouse which served as the home of county government from 1869 to 1968. Today the structure displays items of cultural and historical significance and hosts the park's Visitor Center. The park includes four additional historical buildings and the Arkansas History Commission's Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives. A tour of the historic structures is available. Powhatan served as an important stop for traffic on the Black River until the installation of the Kansas City-Memphis Railwayline two miles north in 1883 significantly decreased the need for river transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Hollow School</span> United States historic place

The Spencer Hollow School is a historic school building at 50 Spencer Hollow Road in Springfield, Vermont. Built about 1810, it is a fine local example of a district schoolhouse. It was used as a school until 1926, and as a clubhouse for a time thereafter. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Hall (North Hampton, New Hampshire)</span> United States historic place

Centennial Hall is a historic community hall and schoolhouse at 105 Post Road in North Hampton, New Hampshire. Built in 1876, it is a distinctive local example of Stick Style architecture, and has served the town as a schoolhouse and community meeting place for most of its existence. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. McKelvey, A.T., ed. Centennial History of Belmont County and Representative Citizens. Chicago: Biographical, 1903, 70.
  3. 1 2 3 4 U.S. Dept. of Transportation Awards Grant to Restore Brick Tavern Archived 2014-02-27 at the Wayback Machine , The Daily Jeffersonian , 2006-09-05. Accessed 2014-02-18.
  4. 1 2 "Respect the Building", Close-Up, 2013-05/06, 28-30: 30.
  5. Brick Tavern House, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2014-02-18.
  6. 1 2 DeFrank, Robert A. "Historic House Upgrade Questioned", Martins Ferry Times Leader , 2012-03-29. Accessed 2014-02-18.
  7. Ohio National Road Scenic Byway Archived February 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Ohio Historic Preservation Office, n.d. Accessed 2014-02-18.
  8. "County's Industrial Park Buzzing with Development Activity", The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register , 2012-04-08. Accessed 2014-02-18.
  9. Ohio University Brick Tavern House Archived 2014-02-25 at the Wayback Machine , Hays Landscape Architecture Studio, n.d. Accessed 2014-02-18.