Located in northwest Ohio, the City of Defiance has been the uninterrupted seat of government for Defiance County since 1845.[1] Platted in 1822 at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers, Defiance today remains the only incorporated city in the county, which is otherwise largely rural, agricultural land.  Cash-grain and livestock farming are the major occupations, although there are other scattered industries in the region as well.[2]

Historically, the area around the courthouse square has been at the center of business and trade, and the intersection at Clinton and Second Streets remains one of the busiest in Defiance.  Several roadways converge here to cross the Maumee River via the Clinton Street Bridge.  From the east, S.R. 18 is routed along Second Street from Tiffin (county seat in Seneca County) to Hicksville (in western Defiance County).  From the southeast, S.R. 15 follows Second Street from Ottawa (county seat in Putnam County) to Bryan (county seat in Williams County).  From the south, S.R. 66 follows Jefferson Street on its way from Delphos (Van Wert County) to Archbold (Fulton County).  From Napoleon (county seat in Henry County), S.R. 424 crosses south to Clinton and Fourth Streets on its way to Antwerp (Paulding County).  In downtown Defiance, all these routes follow Clinton Street – or sections thereof – at some point.

 DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Since the early 1700s, this point of land was an important French/English trading center and the site of seven Native American villages.  Trading posts were established on both sides of the river, including one on the south bank of the Maumee River, at the foot of present-day Clinton Street.[3]  The first bridge in Defiance was a wooden toll bridge across the Maumee River, extending north from Clinton Street to the opposite bank.  Built in the early 1830s, it was likely destroyed by ice during the winter of 1836-37.[4] When the county was organized, a levy helped aid in the construction of the first free bridge at the same location in 1847, which has been replaced since then over four times.  The natural features along the river and the topography nearby helped establish Clinton Street as the city’s principal thoroughfare.

 

Accordingly, the 1822 plat laid out 150 lots on twenty blocks, each with dedicated alleys on the north-south and east-west grid (see Attachment A).  Twelve feet on the side of each road was reserved for sidewalks.  The block marked A on the plat was reserved for county buildings, if Defiance was eventually selected as the seat of government; B was the site of Fort Defiance, to be maintained as a public park; M was reserved for a Methodist church and burial ground; and P was dedicated for similar Presbyterian use.  One major but welcomed deviation from the plat was the eventual vacation of lots along the east side of Perry Street for construction of the Miami & Erie Canal, which was completed in 1843.  Buildings constructed on the west side of Clinton Street had direct access to the canal, and mill races offered motive power for several of them.  The canal bed, which mostly falls outside the district boundary, has since been filled and some new construction stands on its former path, along with a reconstructed lock and public amphitheater that is known as Canal Park.

 

The nominated Defiance Downtown Historic District generally follows a broad, straight path along both sides of Clinton Street from the Maumee River south to Arabella Street (Photos 1-2), with minor branches to the east on Second and Third Streets (Photos 3-4).  The public square is the location of the two most important government buildings, the Defiance County Courthouse and the Courthouse Annex (formerly the Jail/Sheriff’s residence).  Both buildings were substantially renovated within the last ten years (Photo 5).  Across the street from the Annex is the U.S. Post Office, still in use (Photo 6).  Together, these three government buildings present an imposing, authoritative and clearly distinguishable presence in the downtown (Photo 7).

 

Commercial buildings of all ages and styles are arranged along Clinton and Second Streets (Photos 8-9).  Most of these commercial blocks are divided by alleys, and many of the building footprints extend the full depth of the lot.  For some of the larger corner buildings – where the primary frontage was occupied by a prominent business – the side elevations were the location of multiple smaller storefronts (Photo 10); as secondary spaces, these storefronts were often spared the trendy updates that could be afforded by more affluent main street businesses.  The great majority of commercial buildings in the district are two- or three-story masonry construction.  While several of those built in the late 19^th century have retained their distinguishing metal cornices (Photo 11), very few original storefronts from that era still exist.

 

Most of the 19^th-century commercial buildings in Defiance shared a common setback from the street, along the front property line and abutting each another.  As the automobile became an increasingly importance force in shaping retail trends, the streetscape began to change.  Businesses geared to the automobile proliferated in the mid-20^th century, and drive-thrus offered customer convenience, where space allowed.  In 1957, the first of two large, free-standing bank buildings was constructed on the east side of Clinton Street, set back from the street with on-site parking lots and open-space plazas.  These buildings introduced a more suburban appearance and density to the downtown, a new spatial order that continued to the end of the period of significance. [5]

 

Religious properties in the district are located on the fringes of the commercial district, directly adjoining the neighborhoods (Photos 3-4).  Of the three churches in the district, two are located diagonally across the street from each other at Wayne and Third Streets, at the eastern district boundary; the other is located at the corner of Clinton and Arabella Streets, just within the southern district boundary.  Anchoring the south end of the district are the former National Guard Armory and American Legion Hall, which were vacated and have been successfully converted to other public uses (Photo 12).

 

Defiance has undergone several streetscape enhancements along Clinton and Second Streets, most recently in 2012, introducing new concrete sidewalks and curbing, decorative brickwork, street trees, lighting, and traffic signals.  None of these enhancements have resulted in significant changes to the pedestrian experience or sense of place in the downtown area.  Drivers continue to use on-street parallel parking, as there are no public parking lots downtown.  Only a few sections of historic limestone curbing were observed in the district (Photos 13 and 14).  An excellent collection of photographs at the Defiance Public Library provides a visual record of downtown activities and conditions from 1906 and 1949, and served as a useful comparison with which to bracket construction dates and document changes for this nomination.[6] Attachment B includes a selection of photos from within the nominated district.

 

HISTORIC INTEGRITY

As a historically and architecturally significant resource, the Defiance Downtown Historic District retains the critical aspects of integrity that are essential to convey its significance.  In terms of location and setting, the district remains in the physical location where the settlement was first established and where the events associated with the city’s commercial development occurred.  The street grid that was platted in 1822 is still discernable.  Blocks are divided by alleys, with twelve-foot sidewalks on each street, as originally platted.  The courthouse square and all of the principal streets on the original plat are also still extant today, including the street names (except for Front Street, now known as Fort Street).  The district’s evolving spatial order is likewise largely intact, and directly reflects the history and development of downtown Defiance.  Early commercial buildings form a dense, continuous “streetwall” with zero front and side setbacks.  As retail development trends began to change in the mid-20^th century, free-standing buildings were introduced downtown, on the site of older blocks, with dedicated parking lots or landscaped plazas.  On side streets, more service-oriented businesses, such as gas/service stations, banks and dry cleaners, were also established around that time, set back from the street behind driveways and tarmacs.  Adjoining these blocks are long-standing institutional buildings, such as the courthouse, post office, and several churches, which are centered on their lots and set off by grassy lawns, adding to a sense of dignity or importance.

 

Within the Period of Significance (1869-1972), the district also retains the integrity of design, material, and workmanship.  The institutional buildings in the district were designed in the architectural styles then popular, which were selected for symbolic or evocative value, and were executed with the highest-quality building materials and details.  Large 19^th-century commercial blocks were likewise constructed in the prevailing architectural styles, many of them during the city’s railroad and industrial era, when the Italianate style was most popular.  Later 20^th-century buildings incorporate less well-defined modern styles or vernacular types.  Brick is the predominant building material, but the district also has important examples of limestone, granite terra cotta, and porcelain enamel cladding, as well as more modern slipcovers of exposed aggregate panel and perforated metal screening.  Intact commercial building details include elaborate stamped metal cornices, bracketed and pedimented hoodmolds, brick corbelling, cast iron columns and lintels, and incised stone or raised brick window surrounds.  Most commercial storefronts have been altered, although some original features have been incorporated into several of the new storefronts.  Porcelain enamel, exposed aggregate panel, aluminum, and plate glass are materials of more modern – but period-appropriate – occurrence.  Together, these elements express and are directly associated with the development of downtown Defiance and its evolution from canal town, to rail/industrial hub, and finally as the commercial and political center of Defiance County. 

 

Each resource within the district was evaluated to determine if it retains the historic associations or architectural qualities that contributes to the district’s significance.  Resources were determined to be contributing or non-contributing, depending primarily on the physical aspects of their integrity, since location and setting are assumed.  A resource is contributing if it was present during the period of significance, relates to the significance of the district, and possesses historic integrity.  If, due to alterations, additions, or other changes, it no longer possesses historic integrity, it is non-contributing.  Regardless of integrity, resources that were constructed outside the period of significance are non-contributing.  Within the district, there are 73 contributing and 11 non-contributing resources.

 

In the course of our research, we found several instances where an earlier building was refaced or reconstructed, rather than replaced.  The extreme example of this is the Defiance Crescent-News building at 624 W. Second Street, where a new building/addition was constructed in 1938 around the original 1904 structure.  Our evaluation focused exclusively on the visible portion of the 1938 building, which retains all architectural features of that time and is a contributing resource. Similarly, a handsome neoclassical style bank building at 310 Clinton Street, constructed in 1910, was refaced in 1955 with a flush brick façade and recessed entrance.  Aside from an original exposed side wall (on the alley), no evidence of the historic structure remains, but the new façade is a fine example of mid-century modern design that has assumed its own significance and the building is thus a contributing resource.

 

Most properties in the district are commercial buildings, and the storefront is the area most commonly altered, as a matter of fashion, use or advertising strategy.  Most of the storefronts in downtown Defiance are second- or third-generation replacements that have, if installed during the period of significance, assumed significance in their own right.  If so, and if the upper façade fenestration and materials are still distinguishable (even if windows have been replaced), it is a contributing resource.  Loss of an original cornice is not reason alone for a resource to be non-contributing.  However, if all historic fabric has been removed from the upper façade, windows removed, the height/roofline of the building is significantly altered, permanent new siding applied, and there are no visible historic features, it is non-contributing.  Most of the 11 non-contributing resources in the district fall into this category, having been modified to such an extent that they no longer read as a historic building.

 

The following is a block-by-block description of resources within the Defiance Downtown Historic District, starting at the north end of the district and traveling south.  This is followed by discussion of secondary streets.  The attached Property Information Spreadsheet provides a complete list of each building in the district and its contributing/non-contributing status.  Each property on the spreadsheet has been assigned a resource number (RN), which is keyed to the attached map that shows the location and status of those resources within the district. In the discussion below, buildings are assumed to be contributing elements unless otherwise indicated.

 

RESOURCE DESCRIPTIONS

Clinton Street – North of First Street (100 Block)

The northernmost property in the district – at the south approach to the Clinton Street Bridge and overlooking the Maumee River – is the former Defiance Monument Works, located at 106 Clinton (RN1).  The business was established on this site in 1868 by E.R. Mallet, who operated a marble works. The business and property were purchased in 1908 by Charles O. May.  According to a story in the Defiance Crescent-News, Mallet’s building was remodeled by May in 1927 and the current brick façade (Photo 15, right) was added.[7] This is a one-story building with a three-part façade that consists of a single off-center entrance flanked by fixed display windows; the door and windows were replaced in 1990 within the historic openings.  The quality of the brickwork – with running bond and basketweave patterns used for decorative effect – is testament to the craftsman who created it.

 

Adjoining to the south (110-14 Clinton) (RN2) is another large, one-story vernacular building with a modestly detailed brick façade (Photo 15).  Constructed ca. 1936 the building encompasses an area of approximately 1,275 square feet.  For most of its history, the building was occupied by a Ford sales/service operation.  More recently, it has been occupied by office and retail businesses, served by two commercial storefronts.  The façade is brick veneer with decorative soldier course banding along the cornice and around door/window openings.  Large display windows are all modern replacements, but feature a traditional three-part division that is appropriate for the period of construction and consistent within the commercial streetscape.

 

Since its construction ca. 1926, the two-story W.F. Harper Building (118 Clinton) (RN3) has been occupied by a grocery, furniture store, restaurant, and offices, as well as an upstairs apartment.  It is concrete block construction with brick veneer and contrasting stone windowsills and rusticated hoodmolds (Photo 16).  The façade has raised corner posts at the front parapet wall.  A cast stone plaque with raised lettering that reads “HARPER” is centered on the front wall.  The single storefront entrance is off-center and recessed, with large display windows to the side of it; the storefront transom has been covered with shingles.  At the north end of the façade is an interior stairway to the upstairs.  According to Auditor’s records, the building was renovated in 1995.

 

The small, one-story Mediterranean style building at 120 Clinton (RN4) was constructed ca. 1930 for J.P. Clemens, who operated a restaurant at this location (Photo 16).  Later known as Andy’s Café and the Clinton Restaurant, it continues to operate as a restaurant/bar today.  It has an arched three-bay façade – a fanlight transom in each bay – and a recessed off-center entrance.  Exterior walls are brick veneer, and there is a painted tile pent roof above the storefront.

 

Freemasonry had its start in Defiance in 1849 with the establishment of Tuendawie Lodge #195.  Chartered in 1850, the Tuendawie Lodge held meetings in various downtown buildings before acquiring the current site at the northeast corner of Clinton and First Streets (125 Clinton) (RN6).  Designed by M.M. Stophlet of Toledo in the Second Renaissance Revival style, the Masonic Temple was built by P.A. Baker & Brothers and dedicated on September 23, 1913 (Attachment B; Figure 1).  The three-story building sits on a raised daylight basement (Photo 17).  Exterior walls are buff colored pressed brick.  There is decorative raised brickwork at the corner bays and basement level, and a herringbone panel centered on the wall above the front (west) entrance.  Contrasting stone at the foundation, continuous sills, belt course, water table, and coping provide horizontal emphasis.  It has a flat roof, and a deep denticulated metal cornice beneath the frieze on the west and south walls.  The front entrance is recessed within an arched stone surround with cartouche, incised spandrel, and grillework.  On the lower levels are various lodge rooms, a kitchen, dining hall, stage, and on the third floor a large lodge room.  Windows are original 1/1 double-hung wood sash.  The building is exceptionally well-maintained and has not been altered.

 

Adjoining the Temple to the north is a two-story brick building (Photo 17, far left), now an insurance office (121-23 Clinton) (RN5).  Originally, this building (and the one adjoining the Masonic Lodge to the east) were part of the Russell House, one of the most prestigious early hotels in Defiance.  Built in 1858, the three-story hotel was partially demolished in 1911 for construction of the Temple.  This section of the hotel was left standing and was rebuilt as an independent commercial storefront.  Following a fire in 1972, the third floor of the building was removed, reroofed, and the current façade was added, with a brick veneer storefront, metal siding on the second floor, shingled pent roofs at each level and contemporary vinyl windows.  There are no recognizable historic features remaining, and the building is thus non-contributing.

 

Another remnant of the old Russell House is located on the east (rear) wall of the Temple (516-18 First Street) (RN7).  Also partially dismantled and repurposed in 1911, it was renovated in 1950 to its current appearance (Photo 17, far right).  The two-story brick building has two commercial storefronts on the south façade, each with a recessed doorway and a single-light display window.  Upstairs windows are single or paired 1/1 double-hung aluminum sash.  Original window openings still visible on the side and rear walls have been enclosed or modified.  As the renovation falls within the period of significance, and the features associated with that renovation have been retained, it is a contributing element in the district

 

Clinton Street – Between First and Second Streets (200 Block)

On the west side of Clinton Street, opposite the Courthouse, are eight commercial buildings (Photo 18) (Attachment B; Figure 2).  At each end of the block are two, three-story Italianate brick buildings.  Both were constructed ca. 1880, and have bracketed cornices on their primary and (deep) secondary elevations.  The recessed storefront at the south end of the block (224 Clinton) (RN17) is modern construction, based on a traditional three-part storefront design (Photo 19); the wood-shingled canopy and enclosed side entrance at 200 Clinton (RN10) were added ca. 1970.

 

Also built in ca. 1880 is the three-story brick Italianate at 218 Clinton (RN15), which has a narrower three-bay façade, corbeled cornice, and denticulated trim above the window sash (Photo 19).  Metal panels now cover the transom, but the integrity of the ca. 1950 recessed storefront is otherwise good, in terms of materials and design.  The oldest building on the block is a more modest, two-story brick Italianate at 206 Clinton (RN12) (Photo 20, center).  Constructed ca. 1870, it has corbelled brick at the cornice, drip moldings above round-arched second-floor windows (partially infilled with single-lite glazing ca. 2009), and a recessed metal and glass tile storefront that was probably added ca. 1925.

 

The three-story, buff brick building at 220-222 Clinton (RN16) (Photo 19) was constructed ca. 1915.  It has a symmetrical three-bay façade with brick corbels and recessed panels along the roofline and original commercial style wood windows on the upper floors.  The building has two ca. 1950 storefronts, both with recessed entrances, one with an applied brick veneer over the transom, piers, and bulkhead.  The vernacular commercial building at 208-210 Clinton (RN13) (Photo 20, far left), constructed ca. 1920, has a symmetrical four-bay façade.  The upper façade has a corbelled cornice, soldier course lintels, and stone sills, and historically-appropriate multi-lite fixed windows (replaced in 2010).  The storefront has one off-center retail entrance, one side door entrance, and large display windows in metal frame; piers and bulkheads are sandstone veneer panels.

 

The two-story brick building at 214-216 Clinton (RN14) was constructed in 1900, according to Auditor’s records, but was remodeled in 1950 (Photo 19, far right).  The renovation involved the removal of the historic third floor and the addition of a new yellow brick facade.  Aside from raised windowsills, the upper wall surface is flush.  Straddling a center stairway, there are two recessed, angled storefronts, each with off-center doorways and a large metal-framed display window to the side.  With the exception of minor upstairs window alterations, the integrity of the building is outstanding.  The renovated facade stands as an excellent example of mid-century retail design.

 

A hardware store occupied the site at 202-204 Clinton (RN11) for over 100 years (Photo 20, center).  The business was family-run until 1971, when Sherwin-Williams converted the store to a home decorator center.  The current storefront was added in 1957.  The two-story façade is contained within a projecting metal coping, with painted, flush metal panels on the upper walls and a full-width, two-tiered canopy with ribbed metal fascia above the entrance; two vinyl sash windows were recently added on the second floor.

 

In 1871, the contract for construction of the current courthouse was awarded to architect J.C. Johnson of Fremont, Ohio, who was responsible for the design of numerous courthouses (including a nearly identical one in Adams County, Indiana, completed in 1873), churches, and other public buildings throughout the Midwest states.  Completed in 1873, the Defiance County Courthouse is an eclectic mix of the Second Empire and Italian Villa styles.  The building at 221 Clinton (RN19) is brick construction on a raised stone foundation.  On each five-bay façade are contrasting stone quoins, belt course, water table, bracketed lug sills, pedimented windows, and tooled hoodmolds.  The courthouse originally had a Mansard roof and a three-part clock tower above the projecting front pavilion (Attachment B; Figure 13).  The roof and tower were removed in 1957 and replaced with an International style third-floor addition that was entirely out of character with the historic design (Attachment B; Figure 14).  In 2016, the County Commissioners contracted with DLZ Architects of Columbus for various improvements to the courthouse, including a remodel of the 1957 addition.  Along with interior upgrades, the project involved the addition of a new Mansard roof and clock tower that are built of modern, lightweight composite materials (Photo 21).

 

Behind the courthouse (to the east) is the Courthouse Annex (221 Clinton) (RN19).  Constructed in 1871, it was originally the Defiance County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence.  The jail/sheriff’s residence is a building type that appeared in Ohio in the mid-nineteenth century.  It combined the living quarters of the sheriff, his family, and the county jail in a single building.  The Defiance jail/sheriff’s residence was designed by architect C.C. Miller of Toledo, Ohio.  Historically, the building consisted of two parts: the sheriff’s family lived in the front (south) half of the building that faced Second Street, and the jail was in the north part of the building on Court Street (essentially an alley that bisects the public square).  The residence is two-story brick construction on a raised stone basement foundation (Photo 5).  The low-pitched hip roof, cubic massing, symmetrical façade, and projecting central pavilion are hallmarks of the Renaissance Revival style.  Also typical are the deep, bracketed eaves, horizontal frieze windows, and segmental arched stone hoodmolds.  In 1967, a new city/county jail facility was constructed on Perry Street (outside the historic district boundary).  The jail/sheriff’s residence was officially vacated the following year, and in July 1968 the building was officially renamed the Courthouse Annex.  Over the next four decades, it was remodeled several times.  In 2010 the roof and windows of the residence section were replaced (with no damage to historic materials or features), the rear jail section was demolished, and a compatible new brick addition was added.  A courtyard between the two buildings was also part of the design.  The architects for the project were Schooley-Caldwell Associates of Columbus, Ohio.

 

On the north side of Court Street is the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fort Defiance Post #3360 at 201-205 Clinton (RN18) (Photo 1, left side).  Constructed in 1991-1992, it was designed by Pastor and Beilharz Architects and constructed by Duerk Construction, both of Defiance, Ohio.  This brick building falls outside the district’s period of significance and is non-contributing.

 

Perry Street – Between First and Second Streets (200 Block)

At the far northwest corner of the district – one of only three nominated buildings on the west side of the canal bed – is a former factory building at 200 Perry (RN8) (Photo 22).  It was constructed in 1895 for the Defiance Bicycle Company.  Sold at sheriff’s sale in 1904, for many years after it was still referred to by locals as “the old bicycle plant.”  The two-story building has load-bearing brick walls, with a symmetrical six-bay façade and a deep 20-bay side (north) elevation along First Street.  Flat-roofed with a corbelled cornice, the building sits on a stone foundation with water table.  All segmental-arched doors and windows were originally paired between vertical pilasters.  The façade fenestration is unchanged, but on the side elevation, many windows have been bricked in and two contemporary office storefronts were added ca. 1983, when the building was converted to professional offices.

 

Clinton Street – Between Third and Fourth Streets (300 Block)

The west side of Clinton contains some of the earliest and best examples of Italianate style commercial buildings in the district (Photo 23) (Attachment B; Figure 3).  The most prominent of these, known as the Stone Front Building, was constructed in 1873 at the southwest corner of the block (300-302 Clinton) (RN25).  The building is brick construction with a trabeated stone façade that features round-arched and clipped 1/1 windows, elaborate hoodmolds, fluted pediments, paneled fascias, and elaborate carved trim.  The two storefronts were altered prior to 1948, but the cast iron columns and cornice over 302 Clinton appear to be intact.

 

Adjoining to the south are two modest, two-story vernacular brick buildings (Photo 24, center).  Both have three-bay facades with a simple corbelled cornice, stone lintels, and sills.  The building at 304 Clinton (RN26) was constructed in 1867 and operated as a shoe store until 1959.  The current storefront with recessed entry, metal glazing and black Carrera glass bulkhead was installed ca. 1950, according to Auditor’s records.  Its neighbor at 306 Clinton (RN27) was built before 1884 and operated as a saloon through 1911; the new brick storefront was added in 1996.  To the south is another two-story vernacular brick building at 308 Clinton (RN28) that was constructed in 1894 for H.H. Mollencup, the leading fine jeweler in Defiance until 1956.  The storefront was significantly remodeled in 1991, but the upper façade – with decorative brickwork, pedimented parapet, original multi-lite wood window, and stone coping, sill, and details – remains intact.

 

The former Merchants National Bank building – constructed ca. 1910 at 310 Clinton (RN29) – was sold in 1940 for $9,000.  Valued at $35,000, according to the Defiance Crescent-News, “the low price was attributed to its unsuitability for commercial purposes unless remodeled at large cost.”[8] A new façade and interior remodel was completed in 1955 for Schiff’s Shoes.  The current two-story building has a windowless flush brick façade and recessed storefront with deep display windows, an example of mid-century modern design (Photo 24, left).

 

Until 1964, the two-story Italianate brick building at 312-316 Clinton (RN30) (Photo 25, right) was occupied by a series of dry goods, clothing, and department stores.  Crowned by an elaborate bracketed metal cornice with deep overhang, it was constructed ca. 1880 and referred to then as the Eureka Block.  Within each corbelled bay on the façade are historic 1/1 wood windows, each with a pedimented, bracketed lintel and continuous stone sill.  In 1996, the coffee shop at 312 Clinton added a modern recessed storefront with outdoor seating.  The storefront at 316 features the prism glass, display windows, marble bulkhead, and hexagonal tile flooring that were added ca. 1914 when J.C. Vandenbroek assumed occupancy, and thus retains a high degree of material integrity to that period.

 

At the south end of the block are two older, two-story brick Italianate buildings at 322 and 324 Clinton (Photo 26) (Attachment B; Figure 7).  While the second-floor details of these adjoining buildings are identical – compound round-arched windows with incised keystones, corbeled pilasters, and a continuous stone sill – details on the bracketed cornices are different (RN32-33).  Indeed, an illustration in an 1876 county atlas indicates that the Viere Building at 324 Clinton (Attachment B; Figure 8) was constructed a few years before its neighbor to the north (ca. 1880).  Upper windows on the facade have been partially enclosed, as have all window on the seven-bay side (south) elevation on Third Street.  Sandwiched between these large Italianate blocks is a ca. 1925 vernacular, one-story brick commercial building (318 Clinton) (RN31) (Photo 25, center) with a traditional three-part storefront (not original).

 

In speaking of the Arcade Block at 301-307 Clinton (RN34), the Defiance Democrat called it “the most prominent and central location of the town.”[9] Built in 1869, it is a two-story Italianate brick building with two storefronts on Clinton (Photo 27, left) and three storefronts on Second (Photo 28, right) (Attachment B; Figures 3-6).  Both elevations share a deep bracketed cornice, but the north façade is more highly articulated, with compound-arched windows, brick corbelling, stone banding and keystones, and a continuous stone sill.  The arched window openings on both elevations were partially bricked in ca. 1950.  The storefronts facing Second Street are modern assemblies, but retain the tripartite division; cast iron columns in the center storefront are original.  The storefronts on Clinton Street have original flat-arched carved lintels, prism glass, and transoms.  Although most glazing is not original, the irregular historic fenestration on this elevation has been retained.

 

South of the Arcade Block at 309-311 Clinton – and flanked by alleys on both sides – is a two-story brick building (Photo 29).  At one time, this was an Italianate style building, with two storefronts and a deep bracketed cornice above the symmetrical seven-bay façade (see Attachment B; Figure 15).  In ca 1997, the previously remodeled storefront at 309 Clinton (RN35) was replaced with a historically appropriate modern assembly.  The south half of the building (RN36) was significantly remodeled between 1951-1976, with a new angled entrance, second-floor window enclosure, and parged brickwork.  With the elimination of historic features, 311 Clinton is non-contributing.  .

 

Meek’s Pastry Shop is located at 315 Clinton (RN37) (Photo 30, center).  A one-story brick building, it was constructed ca. 1900.  The bakery moved to this site in 1937; and in 1949 the building was enlarged.  The current storefront – consisting of exposed aggregate panels and vertical wood siding in a structural metal grid – may have been added at that time, as it corresponds with the nation’s post-WWII economic boom.

 

At the south end of this block is the Keystone Block, which was constructed in 1873 as four attached, two-story brick buildings, now 319-321 (RN38) and 323-325 Clinton (RN39) (Photo 30, right) (Attachment B; Figures 8 and 16).  It is one of the largest intact business blocks in Defiance.  The arcaded, 14-bay façade has a continuous bracketed metal cornice along the roofline.  Round-arched windows, stone hoodmolds with incised keystones, raised pilasters with stone springers, and brick corbelling beneath the cornice are signature features of the Italianate style.  Only three of the original arched window sash remain on the façade, but none of the window openings have been permanently infilled.  Two storefronts at the south end of the block (323-325 Clinton) were combined as a single storefront in 1980, and the adjoining storefronts to the north were altered in the ca. 1960s.

 

Behind the Keystone Block to the east (514-516 W. Third) is the former Defiance Home Saving & Loan Association bank, now the Andrew L. Tuttle Museum (RN40) (Photo 31).  It is a temple front Neo-Classical Revival style building, designed by Toledo architect George B. Rheinfrank and constructed in 1917.[10] The building has brick bearing walls and reinforced concrete floors and roof.  Exterior walls are brick, stone, and terra cotta veneer, with a heavy granite base on the facade.  At each corner of the denticulated pediment are two fluted pilasters, and supporting the incised entablature are four engaged Corinthian columns.  Between the columns are two-story windows with plate glass, metal spandrels, and glass block infill.  The windows and entrance were modified ca. 1980 (within historic openings), according to Auditor’s records.  Ownership of the former bank building was transferred to the Defiance Development and Visitor’s Bureau in 2011, and in 2013 the museum was opened to the public.

 

Clinton Street – Between Third and Fourth Streets (400 Block)

The west side of Clinton is comprised of seven, two- and three-story brick buildings (Photo 32).  Anchoring the north end of the block is the former Security Building & Loan Company bank (400 Clinton) (RN52), constructed in 1924.  Designed in the Second Renaissance Revival style by architect A.M. Strauss of Ft. Wayne, the exterior walls are granite terra cotta veneer, with darker granite veneer at the base.  The walls at ground level are rusticated, and arched door/window openings have original fanlight transoms.  Centered above them on the upper floors are large, two-story windows with spandrels, each flanked by fluted pilasters with Doric capitals.  Windows have been replaced within existing openings with prefinished metal sash (ca. 2004) but the building appears otherwise unaltered.  The original metal canopy is intact.

 

Adjoining to the south, the three-story building at 402 Clinton (RN54) was built ca. 1885 and for most of its early years was a dry goods/department store.  The most striking feature of the building today is the full-façade perforated metal screen (Photo 32), which was added by the Charles Company in 1971.  Leever Glass Sales, a local manufacturer of aluminum awnings, doors, windows, and custom-made storefront materials likely fabricated the screening, as it is very similar to the façade treatment at Leever’s flagship store at 124 Clinton Street (now demolished).[11]  While the handsomely scripted applied signage that was part of the 1970s remodel of the Charles Department Store is no longer extant, the current storefront alteration falls within the district’s period of significance and it is a contributing element.

 

North of the alley in this block are two adjoining Italianate style buildings at 406 and 408 Clinton (Photo 33).  Constructed ca. 1885, they are three-story brick structures with original metal cornices.  All upper windows have been replaced with 1/1 vinyl or aluminum sash that, for the most part, fill the original window openings.  The current storefront enclosure at 406 Clinton (RN55) – consisting of wood siding and fixed windows – was added in 2007, but the traditional three-part storefront divisions are still discernable.  At 408 Clinton (RN56), the recessed metal storefront system – with marble bulkheads and small display areas at each end – may have been installed for Woolworth’s, which occupied the space from 1939 to 1960.

 

South of the alley in this block are three contiguous, two-story Italianate style brick buildings (Photo 34).  They are tied together by certain architectural devices, including a common corbel line, continuous stone sill, and stone banding above the windows.  Unfortunately, all of them have lost the elaborate metal roofline/storefront cornices that once distinguished these buildings.  The oldest of this trio, built ca. 1887, is located at the north end of the block (414 Clinton) (RN57).  The current three-bay metal storefront assembly with recessed entrance and brick bulkheads was added in 1988.  Adjoining to the south, the building at 416 Clinton (RN58) was constructed ca. 1890.  Fraternal organizations used the upstairs hall here through the 1950s.  Three individual storefronts in this building – originally occupied by small retail shops – became a single variety store from 1936 to 1963, during which time the storefront configuration was modified.  While the transom areas have since been covered, most storefront elements from that period have been preserved.  At the south end of the block (422-426 Clinton) (RN59) is the former J.C. Penney Company building, constructed ca. 1880 (Attachment B; Figure 9).  A handsome pedimented metal cornice with finials was removed before 1979, original windows have been covered or replaced, the first-floor façade was bricked in and the storefront assembly replaced in ca. 2000.  The extent of alterations has so diminished the integrity of this resource that it is non-contributing.

 

On the cross-street behind the Penny’s building (616 Fourth) (RN60) is a one-story commercial building (Photo 35).  Built in 1956 on former canal land, it is currently a discount flooring showroom, with two angled entrances near outside corners of the building and an all-glass storefront with stone bulkheads, original metal glazing, and window returns.  The metal canopy may have been added ca. 1980.  Exterior walls are stack glazed brick, a signature feature of mid-century modern design. 

 

Also behind this block at the north end is a small, free-standing building at 613-615 W. Third (RN53) (Photo 36).  The former Defiance Chamber of Commerce building, it was built and dedicated in 1968.  The building has a simple square plan, flat roof with shingled pent roof, and vertical metal and textured fiberglass sheathing that may have been manufactured locally by Johns-Manville.  Two metal-framed entrances on Third Street are recessed slightly, and may not be original.  There is a small lawn in front of the building with an ornamental tree and plantings, concrete sidewalks, flagpole, and wood/concrete benches.  Located on previously undeveloped canal land, the building and its landscaped setting reflect the shifting suburbanization of traditional downtown spaces.

 

The brick State Bank & Trust building at 401 Clinton (RN61) was constructed in 1971-72 (Photo 37).  The bank was setback from the corner, allowing for a contemporary landscaped plaza in front of the building.  The two-story, flat-roof building is an example of late-Modernism.  The building has an overall cube-like form.  It features deeply recessed door and window openings, which are distinguished by beveled walls.  The clipped northwest corner has a double-height window.  The entrances are emphasized by full-height openings.  The metal doors and windows appear to be original.  The original, attached signage is still on the west elevation.  Although the building has large window and door openings, it also has large expanses of blank brick walls, which creates an interplay of solid versus void.  The bank’s property extends an entire block along Clinton Street, from Third to Fourth streets.  The size of the parcel, including landscape features, make the bank a visually dominant presence in the downtown.  The rear of the lot has some parking and later railroad tie enclosed planting beds.  An angled brick wall that resembles the 1970s planting beds frames the sidewalk line on the western edge of the property.  Applied signage is also on the rear, south elevation.  The accompanying 1970s plaza was remodeled in 2018.  The low brick planters, brick framing wall at the east end of the plaza, and the vertical sign post were removed.  New stone walls were constructed, and instead of planters, fountains have been installed.  However, some planting areas were recreated.  A planting bed is behind the new corner sign, and the centered bed, facing Third Street retains two trees, which are likely the original ones.  Despite the alterations, the newly designed plaza retains the same scale as the original plaza and an overall sense of an integrated building-landscape relationship. 

 

Clinton Street – Between Fourth and Fifth Streets (500 Block)

The west side of Clinton Street consists of seven contiguous buildings (Photo 38).  At the south end of the block (522-524 Clinton) (RN70) is the former Priesendorfer Block, a two-story Italianate style brick building that was constructed in 1889 (Photo 39, front).  Original features on the façade  include prism glass transoms and exquisitely detailed cast iron columns, a bracketed metal storefront cornice, incised three-bay lintels, and stamped metal siding above a centered, foliated oriel window.  The original turreted roofline cornice has been removed and windows are not original (Attachment B; Figure 10).  Inside the building is a mahogany and cherry wood backbar, manufactured and installed here in 1903 by Brunwick-Balke-Collender Company.  Kissner’s Restaurant has occupied the building since 1929.

 

Adjoining to the north is the former Martin Block at 520 Clinton (RN69), a two-story brick building completed in 1888 (Photo 39, right).  Historic views of the building show this as an Italianate building, with segmental arched windows and a bracketed, pedimented metal cornice along the roofline (Attachment B; Figure 10).  A renovation by Western Auto in 1960 removed the cornice and partially bricked in the second-floor windows of this building.  However, original terra cotta tiles and beltcourse are largely intact on the upper façade, as well as corbelled brickwork, and several elements of the historic storefront remain, including the cornice, transom panels (now covered with plywood), recessed double doors, tile flooring and cast iron post.

 

At the north end of the block are two, three-story brick Italianate buildings that retain their original deep, bracketed metal cornices (Photo 38).  The corner building at 500 Clinton (RN64), constructed ca. 1881, has round-arched windows with raised brick hoodmolds and stone sills.  Next to it, the building at 502 Clinton (RN65) has segmental-arched windows with bracketed metal hoodmolds and stone lug sills.  In both cases, historic sash has been removed, but window openings are unaltered and the condition of trim is excellent.  Both storefronts were replaced with traditional three-part systems ca. 1970.

 

Three contiguous, two-story brick buildings (506, 508 and 510 Clinton) (RN66) now function as a single storefront, following a 1997 remodel in which a continuous storefront cornice was added and vertical metal siding was applied over existing transoms and bulkheads (Photo 40).  However, most of the original ca. 1890 second-floor façade features were retained, including flat- and segmental-arched window openings, stone lintels and sills, and corbelled brick.  Original metal cornices are also intact on two of the buildings, including the last intact pediment in the district at 506 Clinton (Photo 11).

 

Stambaugh Jewelry was established in 1948 at 512-516 Clinton (RN67), part of a one-story commercial block that was “then considered to be outside the main shopping area” downtown.[12] The building was constructed ca. 1890 but was extensively remodeled in 1931 and 1970, expanded in 1982, and in 2013 an entirely new fiberglass and Dryvit façade was added (Photo 40, far left).  No historic features remain, and the building is non-contributing.  Also part of that one-story block, the building at 518 Clinton (RN68) retains its pre-1948 recessed storefront, but scalloped siding has recently been added along the upper wall, also rendering it non-contributing.

 

The east side of Clinton consists of four commercial buildings, each one representing a different period of commerce in Defiance (Photo 41).  The oldest of these is the Italianate style, two-story brick building at 519 Clinton (on the right), which was constructed prior to 1884 (RN74).  The building features rough-cut stone lintels and continuous sill on the second floor, and a highly detailed and exceptionally well-preserved metal cornice with “Joseph E. Fry” stamped in the arched pediment.  The storefront, altered ca. 1950, consists of a single recessed entrance, brick bulkheads, and metal glazing, with a separate stairway entrance to the side. 

 

Next to it at 515-517 Clinton (RN73) is the former Strand Theater, which was rebuilt on this site in 1936 following a fire (Photo 41, center).  The new theater had a three-part porcelain enamel Moderne style façade with projecting marquee.  In 1950, the theater left and the building was converted to “two modern stores.”[13] While the addition of commercial storefronts has changed the fenestration at street level, and the porcelain enamel has been painted, these changes fall within the period of significance and are consistent with other cosmetic and design updates being made in the downtown area during this period.  

 

At the north end of the block (505 Clinton) (RN71) is a NAPA Auto Parts store, which was built in 1968 (Photo 42, left).  The one-story building features concrete block/steel frame construction, stacked bond brick knee walls, and metal glazing.  The retail space is at the front (west) end of the building and the service section is at the rear (east), both served by a large dedicated parking lot.  Additional storage for the business is located in the adjoining building to the south (right) at 509 Clinton (RN72), the former Tippin Brothers Livery, which was constructed in 1908.  The front section of the building has a gambrel roofline with a stepped parapet wall and white “T” at the peak of the brick façade.  The building was later used as a garage and bowling alley.  While the storefront fenestration has been modified to accommodate later uses, this is an unusual surviving example of this early resource type.

 

Clinton Street – Between Fifth and Juliet Streets (600 Block)

At the southwest corner of Clinton and Fifth Streets is the former Citizen’s Opera House (600-604 Clinton) (RN75) (Photo 43).  Constructed in 1892, it was remodeled into a movie theater in 1919 and renamed the Valentine Theatre (Attachment B; Figure 10).  In 1928, the front of the three-story building was gutted and new structural steel framing was added to create four floors of hotel rooms above the lobby, obliterating the original fenestration.  The final movie was shown in 1997 and the building has since been occupied by two church groups.  The movie marquee and the aluminum-framed glass entrance doors were probably added as part of a 1967 renovation.  The storefronts on either side of the center bay have been covered with wood paneling, and a modern storefront added in the south storefront, probably when the building was converted to church use in the early 2000s.  Because most of the structural alterations occurred during the period of significance, and the overall massing, materials and storefront arrangement are still discernable, this is a contributing building.

 

Adjoining to the south is a large, one-story building (608-618 Clinton) (RN76) that was constructed in 1918, according to Auditor’s records (Photo 44, right).  In the 1920s, it was a garage/auto repair/salesroom, with concrete floors and a flat roof supported by rows of steel columns.  In 1967, the property was acquired by the Hubbard Company – local engravers, printers, and office suppliers – who continue to occupy the space, along with several smaller businesses and organizations.  The building has been remodeled (date unknown) with modern display windows, vertical wood siding, and a shingled pent roof.  No historic features are evident, and the building is non-contributing.

 

At 622 Clinton (RN77) is a one-story, steel-framed building that was constructed in 1957 for Derrow Motor Sales (Photo 44, left).  The brick façade has a stepped parapet with soldier course detail and metal coping at the roofline, and a center recessed entrance flanked by large, flush metal-framed display windows.  The curved metal canopy above the storefront is original.  Vinyl siding has been applied to the side (south) elevation, which overlooks a large asphalt parking lot.

 

The former Ohio National Guard Armory at 644 Clinton (RN78), completed in 1915, was designed by Dayton architect, Karl I. Best (Photo 12, right).  It is a castellated Gothic Revival style building of brick construction, with pilastered walls and contrasting yellow brick accents around windows, doorways, quoins, and the crenellated battlements.  At the front of the building is a three-story administrative wing (or head house), with a compound-arched entrance centered on the facade.  Behind it is a large, two-story drill hall with a steel truss gabled roof.  Windows on the façade are narrow 1/1 sash and are clustered in threes and fours.  The center bay of the third floor is recessed behind a bracketed ledge.  Above the entrance is a cast stone date plate that reads “1914” and near the roofline are raised letters that read “O.N.G.”  Vacated by the National Guard in 1993, with strong local support it was opened in 1999 as the Defiance County Family Resource Center.  Exterior renovations were limited to replacement of windows and doors, and repointing brick.

 

The former American Legion Hall at 648 Clinton (RN79) was built in 1937 by the WPA (Photo 12, left).  It is a rectangular, one-story brick building on a raised, rock-faced concrete block foundation.  The façade features a projecting center bay with arched entrance (door and frame are not historic).  This entrance is flanked by narrow vertical windows and original metal light fixtures.  Centered above the doorway is a projecting enamel sign with the American Legion emblem; a cast stone plaque is also mounted in the wall above the corbeled beltcourse.  Originally flat-roofed, a new gable roof was added in the 1960s, and the gable end wall was stuccoed.  A variety of vinyl windows have been added within existing openings.

 

Prior to the mid-20^th century, the only commercial building south of Fifth Street on the east side of Clinton was a corner filling station.  In 1957, that filling station and several residences on the block were demolished for construction of the First Federal Savings and Loan building at 601 Clinton (RN80) (Photo 45).  It is a two-and-a-half story, side-gabled Colonial Revival style building of concrete block construction, with brick veneer walls (stuccoed in the gable ends) and stone trim.  The side-gabled roof has slate shingles and five gabled dormers on both front and rear slopes.  Eight fluted, stone Tuscan columns (and two engaged columns) support the full front portico.  There is a large, arched lobby entrance centered on the façade that is flanked on each side by two large, 25-lite display windows, all enframed within a stone surround.  A secondary entrance with broken pediment is located at the north end of the facade.  On side and rear elevations are 15-lite windows, and fanlights in the gable ends.  A large addition at the south end of the building (1996) is set back from and slightly shorter than the original bank mass, but is nearly indistinguishable from the original, in terms of design and materials.  In front of the building is a landscaped lawn with ornamental trees, sidewalks, and flagpole, and to the side and rear is paved parking with landscaped island.  The bank occupies the entire city block and was one of the first businesses on Clinton Street to offer dedicated on-site parking, a hallmark of mid-20^th century retail development.

 

Clinton Street – Between Juliet and Arabella

The block south of Juliet Street contains three residences and one church.  The oldest of the group – indeed, one of the oldest in the district – is the former Scheuermann House at 651 Clinton (RN83), a two-story vernacular brick building (Photo 13, right).  Front-gabled with a symmetrical three-bay façade, it has a plain wood cornice and double rowlock arches and raised stone sills at the window openings (Attachment B; Figure 11).  The 4/4 double-hung wood sash are historic, if not original.  A small cigar shop was established by Scheuermann next to the house (Attachment B; Figure 12), which remained a dwelling until ca. 1950, when the first floor was converted to retail space.  At that time, the original double doors and arched windows were replaced with the existing single door with sidelights and fixed display windows, and a metal storefront cornice and columns were added.  This alteration falls within the district’s period of significance, and represents a later period of commercial growth in Defiance.

 

The residence at 643 Clinton (RN82) was built in 1903 for Dr. Charles Zeller, who added an office wing on the north side of the house ca. 1918 (Photo 13, left).  Asymmetrical massing here is typical of the Queen Anne style, as are the complex roofline, wraparound porch, attic-level Palladian window and a corner turret (destroyed by fire after 1957).  The siding and windows are all vinyl replacements (ca. 2010), but are compatible with the historic character.  The residence at 635 Clinton (RN81), built in 1889, is a two-story Gabled Ell (Photo 46).  The building retains its original 1/1 wood windows, patterned slate shingles in the gable ends, and bay window with 12/1 Queen Anne sash.  The arcaded brick porch was added ca. 1930, and compatible vinyl siding was installed ca. 2015.

 

St. Paul Lutheran Church[14] has occupied the site at 671 Clinton (RN84) since 1870.  The church consists of two parts, a parish hall and sanctuary, which were constructed independently but are now connected in an L-shaped plan, with a bell tower at the juncture of the two wings and a landscaped lawn and driveway in front (Photo 47).  The parish hall, dedicated on April 11, 1937, was designed by architects Merritt and Cole of Detroit.  The two-story wing is tile block construction with stone and brick veneer.  It sits on a raised daylight basement, and it contains classrooms, an auditorium, stage, kitchen, and a dining room/social room with fireplace.  The short end of the building faces south to Arabella Street, where there is a Tudor-arched entrance flanked by semi-hexagonal bays.  Front and basement windows are 4/4 wood sash – in singles, paired or in threes – with 4-lite transoms.  On the side (west) elevation are brick pilasters and (overlooking the auditorium) large industrial type metal windows.  Built on the site of a former parsonage, the sanctuary was designed by Rev. Edwin Dodt and Ervin Bostleman, and was dedicated on May 10, 1959.  The sanctuary is concrete block construction with stone veneer.  The main entrance is Gothic-arched and faces west to Clinton Street, with stone pilasters flanking the entrance, a rose window centered above it, and a cross mounted on top of the gabled parapet wall.  Detailing is minimal. 

 

Second Street – East of Clinton

At the eastern edge of the district is the late International style Key Bank building (414 W. Second) (RN22), designed by Hoke & Nickerson, Toledo architects.[15] Completed in 1966, it is a boxy, one-story reinforced concrete building.  Fairly typical of vernacular banks of the mid-to-late 1950s, this building is an asymmetrical composition of masonry volumes and glass front walls (Photo 48).  The entrance is located at the east corner of the façade, where a metal-framed storefront system wraps around the corner of the building, illuminating the lobby, an open stairwell and an original wall-mounted mural.[16]  There is an integrated canopy above the entrance bay.  Walls are flush, common bond brick veneer on the street-facing elevations, and concrete on side and rear walls.  There is a recessed entrance at the rear corner of the building, and covered drive-thru teller lanes on the west elevation.

 

With much fanfare, the cornerstone for the U.S. Post Office building at 420 W. Second (RN21) was laid on September 23, 1913, the same day the Defiance Masonic Temple was dedicated, prompting an all-day community celebration, including a parade, reception, and ball.  W.T. Sherer was the contracting superintendent for the post office project, and Rogers & Kaiser of Chicago were the contractors.  The design of this building directly reflects the philosophy of the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury at the time.  During the tenure of Oscar Wenderoth (1913-1914), “the federal government promoted the concept that government buildings should be monumental and beautiful, and should represent the ideals of democracy and high standards of architectural sophistication in their communities.”[17] Under Wenderoth, buildings were individually designed and the use of high qualify construction materials was emphasized, even in smaller communities.

 

In that spirit, the Defiance post office is designed in the Beaux-Arts style (Photo 6).  The reinforced concrete structure sits on a raised foundation.  Exterior walls are limestone veneer.  The flat roof has a denticulated cornice and stone balustrade.  The façade is symmetrically arranged, with paired Corinthian columns flanking each of five bays; side elevations have a similar three-bay design.  Above the large 4/4 bracketed windows is a festooned roundel, and at the foot of each window sits a stone urn.  Centered in the broken pediment above the main doors is a stone eagle.  Inside, the public lobby finish is quarter sawn oak.  Terrazzo floors have marble borders and baseboards.

 

In 1957, a large wing was added on the rear (north) side of the post office, doubling the available floor space.  The addition has pale brick walls and stone trim, and is shorter than the original building, with no architectural details.  The addition in no way impacts the integrity of the original structure, which is otherwise unaltered and retains a high degree of architectural interest.  In an editorial, The Crescent-News noted “While the presence of a federal building in our city may be no great business asset, yet it serves to give the city a metropolitan air … and will be an impetus toward securing more modern structures, both public and private.”[18] 

 

The first phone service in Defiance was offered in 1888, and first telephone exchange building was constructed in 1914 at 415 W. Second (RN48) (Photo 49).  There was a rear addition to the historic building in 1953, but in 1965 it was significantly enlarged and remodeled.^[19] The building mass is now cubical, with a recessed lobby entrance and integrated planter.  The first-floor façade is concrete slab with seven blind rectangular panels; the recessed lobby entrance is a metal storefront system with tall, narrow glazing and solid panel transoms.  The upper façade wall is flush brick, with full-height vertical grooves providing the only surface relief.  All other walls are concrete block with brick veneer.

 

On the adjoining corner lot at 421 W. Second (RN47) is a former Shell service station dating from 1949 (Photo 50).  The building is concrete block construction with elongated, textured brick veneer.  The façade has two service bays with large overhead doors.  At the front corner of the building is a fully-glazed entrance door and large aluminum-framed glass windows, defining a multi-use area for product display, customer waiting room, sales counter, and office.  The flat roof has a Mansard overhang that is covered with brown stamped metal shingles imitating a shake shingle roof.  There are two windowless doors on the side (west) elevation, originally for the rest rooms, and a third service bay.  The overhead door in this service bay appears to have retained the more original transparent plastic glazing panels, while the two front doors do not.  Another service bay has been added onto the rear of the original station using a metal building system structure.

 

The building at 501 W. Second (RN51) was constructed in 1910, according to Auditor’s records, and was remodeled in 1998 (Photo 49).  The building is masonry construction with flush brick veneer.  The façade has textured block piers, and a full-height canopy of modern materials.  Because the renovation falls outside the period of significance, this building is non-contributing.

 

Bud’s Restaurant at 505 W. Second (RN45) has been a staple in Defiance since 1939 (Photos 51-52).  The two-story building is concrete block construction; a one-story, wood-framed bump-out on the façade was added before 1947.  The original building is streamlined Moderne style, with curved front corners and a striped metal band along the roof edge.  Upper walls are smooth finished, windows are metal jalousies, and a pair of metal doors are centered on the upstairs facade.  At the street, the front bump-out has a restaurant entrance, as well as a tenant entrance, and vertical wood siding, shingled pent roof, and a ribbon of jalousie windows cross the storefront.  The one-story bump-out is a historic period alteration and does not diminish the integrity of the resource.

 

There are two, two-story brick commercial buildings on the east side of the alley on this block (Photo 52).  The six-bay building at 507-509 W. Second (RN44), constructed ca. 1932 for C.E. Masterson, is tile block construction with brick veneer walls (Attachment B; Figure 6).  There is a recessed center entrance with angled walls at the center of the building for upstairs access, and two traditional storefronts on each side of it, with brick bulkheads, recessed doors and metal framed display windows; transoms have been covered (Photo 53).  Upstairs windows are 1/1 sash, paired or single.  Decorative brickwork includes a soldier course at the curb and around door/window openings, and a basketweave panel between the first and second floors.  The adjoining building at 511 W. Second (RN43) is also a two-story tile block and brick building (Attachment B; Figure 6).  Built in 1910, it has decorative stone coping with chevrons along the roofline, and two parallel lines of decorative glazed white brick beneath it.  A ribbon of five 1/1 windows are on the second floor, and a recessed entrance with side displays is at street level; the storefront transom has been covered (ca. 1950).

 

On the west side of the alley is a two-story brick building that was constructed in 1882 as the Harley & Tiedeman Block (515-517 W. Second) (RN42).  The seven-bay façade has round-arched windows (partially enclosed) with stone dripmolds and a continuous sill on the second floor, and corresponding recessed and corbelled blind panels on the third (Photo 28, left) (Attachment B; Figures 3, 5-6).  The building was originally three stories tall, and these upper panels may be a remnant of the former window bays.  There are two recessed storefronts with flush doors, display windows and bulkheads, covered beneath a canvas awning.  Alterations occurred in 1950, according to Auditor’s records.

 

The narrow, three-bay brick building at 519 W. Second (RN41) was constructed in 1880, according to Auditor’s records (Photo 28, center) (Attachment B; Figures 3, 5-6).  The facade features an original bracketed metal cornice and cast iron storefront columns, as well as round-arched stone dripmolds, springers, and continuous windowsill on the upper walls.  The building interior has apparently been gutted and reframed since 1957, as the original three-story building is now four stories.  With the floor redesign, windows on the upper floors have been partially infilled with brick, although the storefront windows and transoms retain their historic three-bay configuration.

 

Second Street – West of Clinton

The building at 615 W. Second (RN24) was constructed on the site of the Miami and Erie Canal in ca. 1940 (Photo 54).  Originally a tire store, it was purchased by Deluxe Cleaners in 1945 and extensively enlarged and remodeled in 1955, nearly doubling the original building footprint, based on Sanborn maps.  It is a one-story concrete block structure with a recessed front drive-through.  The façade is dominated by a curved, single-bay storefront, with full-height plate glass windows in metal framing atop a permastone bulkhead.  Individual molded plastic sign letters mounted across the storefront cornice – which extends over the recessed entrance – read “DELUXE DRIVE-IN CLEANERS.”  The exterior wood siding is not original to the 1955 renovation (date of alteration is unknown), although the existing signage can be dated at least to the late 1960s.  All other design elements are intact, including brushed aluminum double doors centered on the façade.

 

Constructed ca 1930 as a Firestone Auto Supply & Service Store, the one-story building at 619-623 W. Second (RN23) was remodeled in 1995 for professional offices and commercial use.  On the façade, the six original service bays and display windows were permanently enclosed with three modern storefront assemblies and brick infill, and a full-width pent roof was added across the brick cornice.  The integrity of design, materials and association were lost with these alterations, which were completed outside the period of significance, and the building is non-contributing.

 

In 1904, the Crescent Publishing Company constructed a two-story brick building at the corner of Second and Perry Streets.  The building was used for the publication of several local newspapers, including The Defiance Crescent-News.[20]  In 1937 an addition was constructed on the north side of the old plant, where all departments were temporarily housed while the old building was reconstructed to match the addition.[21] The building that stands today at 624 W. Second (RN9) was completed in March 1938, and is still occupied by The Crescent-News, the region’s only daily paper (Photo 55).  Designed by Defiance architect, Philip C. Sherman, it was constructed as two sections: the front business/editorial section facing south on Second Street, with exterior walls of light buff Indiana limestone, and raised banding at the cornice; and the mechanical section (for production and layout) behind it, with exterior walls of light buff face brick and a stone-faced raised basement.  A large distribution wing with multiple truck bays and Dryvit siding was added to the north in 1978.

 

Third Street – East of Clinton

At 501 W. Third (RN51) is a mini-bank and attached ATM (automated teller machine).  Both are steel-framed structures with brick veneer.  The ATM is a five-bay drive-through and is connected to the bank by an open canopy; the rest of the lot is paved.  Constructed in 2010, this is a non-contributing resource.

 

Wayne Avenue – Between First and Fourth Streets

The 1^st Baptist Church at 319 Wayne (RN50) is a decoratively rich, one-and-a-half story brick building with wood truss roof (Photo 14).  Designed by Defiance architect Jonathan Isaac Hale, it was built in several stages between 1894 and 1896, when the first service was held.  It sits on a raised daylight basement of rock-faced ashlar stone and has a broad, cross-gabled roofline with flared eaves and elaborate carved Eastlake detail in the primary gable ends.  A crenellated two-story bell tower sits at the southwest corner of the building, and two raised entry bays straddle the front-gabled Wayne Street facade.  Three stained glass rose windows are centered on each of the three gabled facades, with contrasting smooth-faced stone lintels, keystones, springers, and sills.  Unspecified repairs and changes were made to the church in 1925.  The congregation vacated the building in 1980 and in 2007, it was donated to the City of Defiance.

 

On the adjoining lot to the north, the Gabled Ell residence at 317 Wayne (RN49) is a wood-framed structure.  Built ca. 1880, it sits on a rock-faced concrete block foundation and has a wraparound porch.  Two, one-story rear wings were added ca. 1900.  There are a couple of 4/4 windows on the rear wing, and a modern picture window next to the front (west) door, but most window openings have been covered with aluminum siding.  None of the porch elements are historic, and no historic features or materials are evident.  The building is therefore non-contributing.

 

Diagonally across from the 1^st Baptist Church is St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at 400 Wayne (RN62).[22] It is a large, two-story, front-gabled basilica plan brick church, built in 1873 in the Romanesque Revival style (Photo 56).  Like its neighbor, the church was designed by Defiance architect Jonathan Isaac Hale.  Centered on the three-bay façade is a projecting compound-arched entry vestibule; on all elevations, bays are separated by buttressed pilasters.  At the northeast corner of the building is a 160-foot tower with belfry and six-sided spire.  All windows are round-arched with raised stone dripmolds and continuous stone sills.  Imported Italian stained glass (rose) windows were installed in 1909, along with a substantial rear (west) addition.  In 1960, a large educational wing was added for classrooms and a small chapel, also of brick construction with stone details that are consistent with the historic building design, but highly stylized (Photo 57, left).

 

At the center of the modern U-shaped church footprint is the Queen Anne style parsonage at 410 Wayne (RN63).  Completed in 1891, it is a two-and-a-half story building with a hipped roofline and gabled wall dormers with flared eaves (Photo 57, center).  Dormer walls and soffits are vinyl, but the wood brackets and frieze panels are intact.  Exterior walls are brick with stone trim.

 

[1] Until Defiance County assumed its current boundaries, Defiance served as county seat for a larger area from 1825 to 1839.

[2] USDA, Soil Survey of Defiance County, p.1.

[3] Simonis, Maumee River 1835, p.135.

[4] The fifth bridge crossing at Clinton Street is currently under construction.

[5] John Stobart and Vick Howard, eds. The Routledge Companion to the History of Retailing (NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2019), n.p.

[6] The Edward Bronson Collection is available at https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll20/search.

[7] “Monument Works in Same Location for Seventy Years,” Defiance Crescent-News, 22 October 1938, p.3.

[8] “Moss, Owner of Old First National, Buys Merchants Building at $9,000,” Defiance Crescent-News, 5 March 1940.

[9] The Defiance Democrat, 3 September 1870, p.2, c.2.

[10] “Valuable Addition for Business Section Soon,” Defiance Crescent-News, 28 January 1916, p.1, c.1.

[11] Founded in 1947 by Bob Leever as an auto glass operation, the company soon added window glass to their stock.  Within a few years they were handling plate glass, and in the mid-50s began fabricating storefront components.  The family-owned business is still in Defiance, offering residential and commercial glass work.

[12] Eugene R. and Lorraine L. Andrews, Defiance County, Ohio

[13] “Will Begin Remodeling into Two Modern Stores,” Defiance Crescent-News, 15 January 1950.

[14] Originally established as St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, it was known in the 1950s as St. Paul American Lutheran Church.

[15] Originally built for the Maumee Valley National Bank.

[16] The painting by local artist, Ed Dodt, depicts the major industries of Defiance.

[17] “Preserving Historic Post Offices: A Report to Congress,” ACHP, p.14.

[18] “An Indication of Progress” (Editorial), Defiance Crescent-News, 22 September 1913, p.2, c.1.

[19] Part of the original east wall is still exposed along the alley.

[20] The paper started in 1888 as The Daily News, later was changed to The Defiance Daily Crescent.

[21] The printing press remained in the basement of the old plant for the duration of the construction, to ensure uninterrupted publication.

[22] Historically named St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church.