herr2ck: November 2025

Circleville Trip, pt. 4 - Mound Street + Miscellaneous

May 2025.

My last Circleville post begins near the corner of Mound Street and Pickaway Street. It will cover Mound Street’s interesting buildings and conclude with some photos I had trouble fitting elsewhere.

First Presbyterian Church

The church’s website seems to have just gone down, but via the Wayback Machine I was able to find the old history page. The Presbyterian Church in Circleville was established in 1822 and the first church building was built in 1826 on the site of the existing one. The current church was built from 1899-1901 according to the Akron Plan, though the tower dates to 1910. A “Christian Education wing” was added to the east side in 1965, which replaced the original manse. In 2004, the current Fellowship Hall replaced the 1965 addition, which was designed to resemble the 1901 church.

Detail of the tower:

The south facade:

Datestone:

Trinity Lutheran Church

Historic postcard of the original church building c. 1910. (eBay)

Circleville’s Modernist Trinity Lutheran Church is an interesting abstraction of a typical Gothic Revival church. It seems to have had a traditional Victorian church through the 1950s or 1960s, when it was demolished and replaced by the current structure.

The simple gabled nave has three strips of mosaic instead of a rose window, and its tower is severe and square. I like the textured effect of the spire, though:

The entrance:

123 East Mound Street

This large Italianate house has elaborate hood molds and woodwork. It seems to house a business, judging by the alterations to the exterior.

109 East Mound Street

I like the bold color scheme on this eclectic Queen Anne and its asymmetrical towers. The porch columns and second-floor Palladian window seem to be Beaux-Arts features (note how the front’s are Corinthian while the side porch's are Ionic), and the house still retains some of its original windows and its slate roof.

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

A postcard of the church’s exterior covered in ivy. (eBay)

The Episcopal Church is the oldest denomination in Circleville, organized in 1817. St. Philip’s was built in 1866 as an early Gothic Revival building. It was built on top of a Native American mound known as “Mount Gilboa,” and the church has the nickname “Little Church on the Mound.”

The Tudor structure in the rear was built in 1918 as the parish hall, but it exists independently of the original church and does not harm its historic value.

Heavy masonry dominates here. The windows are small and thin, punched into the stone facade in an almost Romanesque manner. However, the expression is undeniably Gothic, as seen in the pointed arches and small buttresses on the sides of the nave.

Also note the pattern on the slate roofing. St. Philip’s was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

A rendering of the church from 1907, which seems to differ slightly from the existing building. (eBay)

Circleville’s first Catholic services were held in 1840. The first church was a small frame building that was moved onto a lot on Franklin Street that the congregation purchased, and it was used for about 20 years. A larger brick church on the current site was finished in 1868.

Plans for a new church were being discussed as early as 1901, and it was originally planned to be built of brick. However, the pastor decided to use stone instead, which was likewise approved by the congregation. The 1868 church was demolished in 1901, and the cornerstone of the current building was laid in April 1910. It was completed and dedicated in 1911. The church building apparently sports Carrara marble and stained-glass windows from Munich.

The church was first renovated between 1932 and 1940. It recently received a new roof, and its school was demolished in 2006.

Detail of the tower:

317 South Court Street

We’ll finish up with some miscellaneous houses on Court Street. This Italianate is in excellent condition and has a symmetrical facade, but one wing is recessed for a porch. The elaborate woodwork is intact across the entire house, including the doors, and it even retains its original windows. Note the plaque that publicizes its status on the NRHP.

318 South Court Street

Though likewise Italianate in style, this house is a little more restrained in its ornament, only embellished by the bracketed cornice and slightly protruding vaults above the windows.

324 South Court Street

This large house was undoubtedly very beautiful when it was built, but a lack of maintenance and a clashing coat of baby blue paint puts it in a pretty sad state today.

325 South Court Street

A simple Italianate with a T-shaped plan, features such as the drip molds and patterned slate roof liven up this house greatly.

Gregg-Crites Octagon House

The house in 1880. (Ohio Exploration Society)

Since we’re on the topic of residential architecture, I drove far out to the south side of Circleville to see the well-known Octagon House. Unfortunately, it sits on private property, so the view from my car window was the best I could do.

Octagonal houses are a rare phenomenon of Victorian-era architecture, but they are well-documented. Most date to c. 1850-1870 and have wide overhangs, occasionally sporting a cupola or porch. (This house had both, however only the cupola survives.) They were advocated for by Orson Fowler, who argued that the design used space more efficiently and increased sunlighting and ventilation. In practice, however, the odd shape in plan created sharply angled corners (which is a big no-no even in architecture school), and the supposedly increased sunlight went to spaces like closets and pantries.

The house was built between 1855 and 1856 by George Gregg. It was most notably owned by the Crites family, as it sat on their farmland. However, the property was acquired by a developer in the early 2000s, and the historic house was threatened to be demolished for the construction of a Wal-Mart. Ultimately, the building was moved half a mile by the Roundtown Conservancy to its present location. The original features remained intact during the move, but a new foundation was required and the original basement was lost. It is currently being restored for museum use.

I actually didn’t miss any cool buildings this time! Granted, Circleville isn’t very large, but I still hit every landmark I wanted to. Thanks for reading.

Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20250212053416/https://www.circlevillepresbyterianchurch.com/about

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335054934857

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355144247338

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Philip%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Circleville,_Ohio)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294515563661

https://saintjosephcircleville.com/history

https://www.ohioexploration.com/structures/mmcriteshouse/

A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia Savage McAlester

https://pickaway.com/places/octagon-house/

https://www.ohioexploration.com/structures/mmcriteshouse/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg-Crites_Octagon_House

Circleville Trip, pt. 3 - Court Street

May 2025.

Back to part 2

This dump article will cover Court Street from High Street to Mound Street in downtown Circleville. I’ll start on the north side where it intersects with High Street and proceed southward from there.

231-233 North Court Street

I like this hipped-roof Italianate building. The arched windows on the north side are cool, even though the storefront probably looked more like the south side originally.

Detail of the hood mold above the central door:

234 North Court Street

Another similar Italianate, this one likewise appears as a hybrid between a house and commercial building with its chimneys and hipped roof. I like the intact decoration on the first floor.

217-227 North Court Street

These two late Victorian homes look similar to ones I’ve seen across Columbus. The rightmost one retains its spindlework and slate roof.

Elks Lodge

1938 photo of the building prior to alterations. (Ohio Exploration Society)

This very literal Greek Revival building houses Lodge #77 of the BPOE. According to the building’s cornerstone (featured on the lodge’s Facebook but not legible in my photos), it was built in 1923.

Crist Building I [demolished]

Historic photo of the Crist Building. (The Ohio Architect and Builder)

This unusually elaborate Victorian was designed by Columbus architecture firm Stribling & Lum, and the building was completed in 1896. I’m unsure why the above image has it with one bay window and the below image at the time of its demolition has two. Regardless, it stood near the corner of Court Street and Pinckney Street.

The Crist Building immediately prior to its demolition. (Circleville Herald)

Unfortunately, the Crist Building was a victim of the same fire that leveled the American Hotel next door in 2008 (keep reading…). Although the building survived, it was weakened structurally, and in February 2009 a severe storm collapsed one of the side walls. This resulted in severe damage to the roof and second floor, and the rubble was strewn about Court Street and the surrounding buildings. The Pickaway County Building Inspector signed the demolition order shortly afterwards, and the Crist Building was razed.

113 Pinckney Street

I guess this one isn’t technically on Court Street, but I thought it was a cool Art Deco-era building. A carved sign on the building reads “TELEPHONE”--maybe it was originally Circleville’s phone switchboard?

American Hotel/Mason Bros. Furniture [demolished]

Historic view of the American Hotel and adjacent Crist Building I. (Pinterest)

The American Hotel was one of Circleville’s most prominent historic buildings, and the demolition of it and its neighbor due to arson is likely the city’s biggest loss of architectural heritage. Most sources only really cover the blaze itself, and all I could find about the building’s history is that it was built in the 1880s in the Italianate style and the hotel closed in 1974. An interesting tidbit is that it held the Mason Bros. Furniture store from its opening (as seen above) until the building burnt down. Mason’s still operates today in a different building on Main Street, just west of the Seitz Building.

The building later in life and similar to how it appeared prior to demolition. (Pinterest)

The American Hotel burned on September 22, 2008, in an act of arson. Three teenagers originally arrested for breaking into the building to steal were also charged with arson. It was demolished on October 3, 2008. The site is now occupied by Pumpkin Show Park.

122-128 North Court Street

I particularly like the Chicago School-esque building on the right with its subtle yet rich brick detailing. However, both of these buildings have had their bases altered.

Pythian Castle

Historic photo of the Pythian Castle in its Romanesque glory. (eBay)

This is one of my favorite buildings in Circleville, but it has been heavily altered over the years. Circleville’s chapter of the Knights of Pythias had its charter granted in 1874. One source mentions that the building dates to 1842, which I find highly unlikely unless they are referring to a predecessor, as Romanesque Revival architecture did not become popular until c. 1880. I think the chapter has since gone defunct, but it was still operating when the NRHP listing was made in 1978.

Some of the original building is intact, but much has been lost over the years. Its original plate-glass storefronts have been replaced by a clashing Postmodern facade, which does not line up with the existing bays nor match the building stylistically. Its corner turret has had its clerestory and conical roof removed. Finally, the central bay window below the cornice has been bricked up.

Detail of the sign and cornice, with its intact spires:

The heavily stained keystones and lintels--note the Ionic capitals, an unusual inclusion on a Romanesque design:

The intact southern tower:

Its emasculated brother to the north:

If any Circleville building would be a good candidate for restoration, this is it. Removing the historically inaccurate storefront and adding a new roof to the turret would go a long way on an otherwise intact structure.

H&H Building

We’ve crossed Main Street and are now on the south side of Court Street. The first building that I haven’t already covered is the late Italianate H&H Building, which according to its cornice was built in 1895. The storefronts were bricked up between 2007 and 2015.

Johnson Building

Oddly, what all the sources online call the “Johnson Building” is at 116 East Main Street, where the pumpkin show mural is painted. This building at 122 South Court Street has the name on its cornice. It is an Italianate design with elaborate drip molds and Corinthian pilasters.

Its cornice seems a little saggy:

Old City Hall/Circleville City Building

One of Circleville’s oldest buildings, the City Building was built in 1861 and designed by William Doane. The NRHP listing writes that it is in the “Romano-Tuscan style,” which I have never heard of. To me, it seems to be Italianate or Renaissance Revival.

I like this cupola with golden capitals on top:

212-216 South Court Street

This Italianate building with bay windows retains its original wooden storefronts and doors. It is essentially the same module mirrored, but I like its historic character.

Circleville Post Office

1930s photo of the post office. (Dimple Times)

Circleville’s post office is in the classical manner, but it seems to be a late Neoclassical design due to its simplicity and lack of ornament. My guess is 1920s-1930s.