January 2025.
I want to emphasize that this was the first of my trips to various Ohio locales, and by my current standards it is rather lacking in that it misses several significant buildings and includes rather poor photos. As of the time I uploaded this post (November 2025), I have several more cities in the queue which have higher-quality photos, and I have a more rigorous process when I visit new places to ensure I don't miss things.
After visiting the Home Building Association Bank and the Licking County Courthouse in Newark, I explored the nearby buildings that form Courthouse Square. I’ll start with the northwest corner of the area, at the corner of North Park Place and 3rd Street, and work clockwise.
Hull Building & Newark Trust [demolished/altered], Newark Trade Tower
Postcard of 3rd Street looking west. The Hull Building (left) and Newark Trust (right) are the tallest buildings in frame. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
The Hull Building and Newark Trust were two of Newark’s tallest buildings--the latter was known as “Newark’s skyscraper,” in fact. I’ll start with the now-demolished Newark Trust.
The Newark Trust was a nine-story Chicago School building built in 1908. It was ornamented with classical columns and motifs, plus a brick cornice. The building operated until the 1980s, when eight of its floors were removed due to structural issues.
The Hull Building was a similar Chicago School composition, but its shorter stature and white terra-cotta materiality differed from its neighbor. It was built by Levi Hull, a wealthy businessman of Newark, from 1908 to 1910. It held department stores for much of its life, first John J. Carroll’s from 1911-1918, and most famously King’s from 1936-1966.
In 1951, the original facade of the Hull Building was destroyed by a fire. It was replaced by a windowless Modernist design, which featured a massive sign with the name of the department store. After King’s moved out in 1966, the Hull Building held the Bargain Shoe Store. Central Trust was the occupant in 1986, which reopened the previously bricked-up windows.
Today, the Hull Building and part of the first floor of the Newark Trust have been combined into what is called the Newark Trade Tower today. It held a Chase Bank until recently, and now the building is used by some government offices. The building is the rightmost one here:
I didn’t really find any other existing buildings worth documenting on the west side of Courthouse Square (besides the Home Building Association Bank, obviously). I borrowed the above picture from that article. It mostly has more modest two to three story Victorian-era commercial buildings and a Postmodern apartment complex to the south that attempts to evoke the surrounding historic architecture.
Franklin Bank [demolished]
A photo of Franklin Bank after its fire. “Smith the Artist” was a well-known local photographer. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
The Franklin Bank was an Italianate composition similar to the other buildings on Courthouse Square. It had a hotel, as indicated by the sign on the corner. It suffered a major fire in 1913 but continued to stand. It was demolished in the 1930s or 1940s in favor of a one-story department store building.
The new occupants, W. T. Grant Co., also built a new building across the alley, which was a similar Art Moderne design. Unfortunately, this building and its neighbors were lost to numerous fires, some as late as the 1990s. They were replaced by Candlewick Commons, a Postmodern apartment complex with Italianate-inspired details, which was built in 1986.
First National Bank
The First National Bank (right) and its surroundings c. 1911. (Newark Walking Tour)
The First National Bank of Newark was founded in 1865, and the existing building was constructed in 1870 in the Italianate style. It was one of the first banks in Ohio that operated according to the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.
The face above the entrance is possibly that of Adam Kiesel, a Newark resident who operated a museum near the site after the Civil War. After that enterprise failed, he tried selling birds, groceries, and opening a bar. Sick of his failed ventures, he insured his wooden building and set fire to it, burning down several neighboring buildings in the process. He was charged with arson, but citizens acquitted him as they were glad to see the “eyesores” go. The Newark library attributes the relief as a totem meant to ward off bad luck.
The sign on the transom says the building is a law office today, but I’m not sure if that is still the case.
The First National Bank definitely looks like it needs a power wash…all that Gilded Age soot is stuck to the masonry still. It looks pretty good for its age, for the most part, but 150 years of pollution and acid rain have taken their toll a bit.
Details of the entrance and the relief above the doorway:
Here, the carved sign is cracking off:
I like this old vault alarm, too.
Grand Theater [demolished]
A later picture of the Grand Theater (second from left), probably c. late 1960s. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
The highly elaborate Grand Theater’s Second Empire design is much different from the simpler Italianate architecture of its neighbors. The Price family purchased the theater in 1919, which operated until 1954. It also held the Boston Dry Goods store for much of its lifetime. The building was demolished in 1972. It was replaced by a Postmodern office building in 1989, which was built by an architecture firm that would occupy the space.
East Side of Courthouse Square
A 1968 photo looking southeast from the Licking County Courthouse. Many of these buildings have been demolished. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
Today, the 2nd Street side of Courthouse Square is unremarkable, filled with bland PoMo commercial architecture on sprawling lots, much different from the taller and denser buildings on the other sides. However, it originally held several significant historic buildings.
Elks Lodge [demolished]
The Elks Lodge and its surroundings, after 1909. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
The Elks Lodge was an interesting Romanesque Revival building with a large central turret. It was probably built between 1880-1900. The Elks occupied the building until they moved to the Swisher Mansion at an unknown date, which was on the site of their current location.
Oriel Building [demolished]
The Oriel Building. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
The Oriel Building was built in 1909, according to the date on its cornice. In the photo of the Elks Lodge before and the Jones Block below, you can tell it was originally more elaborate--the storefronts had larger windows, and the cornice had two crowning urns. However, by the time of this photo from around the 1960s, the building was in sad shape. The storefronts were heavily altered, the cornice’s urns were removed, the masonry appears cracked, and some windows are missing. The Oriel Building was well known for the Park Bar.
Jones Block [demolished]
The Jones Block is in the middle, note the sign on the cornice. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
The Jones Block held Evans Drugs and Meyer & Lindorf, a department store. It appeared to be Italianate in style and was probably built between 1860-1880.
Hotel Warden [demolished]
Postcard of the Hotel Warden in 1915. (Newark Walking Tour)
The Hotel Warden stood where the Wendy’s is today, but the site’s history goes pretty far back. In 1802, a log cabin acted as an inn on the site. In the 1850s, the Buckingham House was built, which was a smaller Italianate building.
The original Buckingham House. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
An addition was designed in the 1870s, which expanded the building and added a fourth floor, becoming the Hotel Warden as it was known for the rest of its life. It was a pretty sumptuous hotel--it had marble floors, a barbershop, a wine room, an elevator, and an electric call board for guests to page the front desk. The Hotel Warden was successful and well-known until it closed in 1959. The building was demolished in 1966.
Annotated photograph highlighting the location of the trowel. (Haunted Newark Walking Tour)
An interesting local legend is that during construction, a mason fell to his death from the scaffolding. In his honor, his fellow masons placed his trowel on the facade of the building, where it pointed down to the spot he landed. The trowel was maintained after the hotel’s demolition by the Licking County Historical Society.
Hibbert & Schaus Building [demolished]
(Newark’s Lost Buildings)
This lovely eclectic Romanesque Revival building was located at the corner of 2nd Street and Main Street. It served many uses over the years, one being the home of the YMCA before its own building was constructed. It was well-known for housing J. C. Penney from the 1930s to the 1960s, which became the Carousel Restaurant afterwards, as well as Scott’s Furniture.
The Hibbert & Schaus Building later in life.
Yet again, this building suffered a major fire in the 1970s. It was demolished afterwards and was replaced by a Postmodern bank building later on.
The Hibbert & Schaus Building after its fire. (Newark’s Lost Buildings)
Auditorium [demolished]
The Auditorium c. 1930s. (Newark Walking Tour)
The exuberant Auditorium was located where the Licking County Foundation is today, slightly north of Park Place along 2nd Street. Conceived in 1891, a women’s auxiliary group wanted to honor the 660 veterans of the Civil War from Licking County that were killed in action. It was built in 1894 at a cost of $50,000 and opened in October 1895 as the Soldiers and Sailors Building, an example of Beaux-Arts architecture and considered to be one of the finest theaters in the Midwest. During its lifetime, it hosted acts such as Houdini, Count Basie, and Gene Autry. It also served as the Newark Library before 1920.
The Auditorium after its 1968 facade redesign. (Newark Advocate)
The Auditorium was extensively altered over its lifetime. When vaudeville went out of style, the theater was converted to a movie theater. The building was remodeled between 1947 and 1948 by the firm Alcox & Stritzel to the plans of Harry C. Holbrook. The original three balconies were unified, its organ was removed, and the museum of Civil War memorabilia was eliminated. In 1968, the building was set on fire in an act of arson, destroying the elaborate facade. The Auditorium was insured, but Licking County lacked the capital to rebuild the original facade. Instead, it was replaced by a Modernist composition of brick and glass, pictured above. The Midland Theater Corporation rented the building afterwards but departed in 1978 due to a lack of business.
At this point, the estimated cost to restore the Auditorium was two million dollars, which the county did not want to pay and instead appropriated funds to demolish the building. A community organization tried to pass a tax levy to raise enough money to restore the building, but this did not pass. The Longaberger Corporation bought the Auditorium in 1992 for $70,000, which planned to preserve it and the Midland Theater across the street as a convention center. However, due to the high costs, the Auditorium was instead deeded to the Licking County Foundation, and the building was demolished in 2002. The Licking County Foundation’s new building stands on the site.
Midland Theatre
The Midland Theatre and its surroundings in 1929. (Newark Walking Tour)
The 1000-seat Renaissance Revival-styled Midland Theatre opened in 1928 as a movie and vaudeville venue. The building featured an organ that could be raised or lowered for the theater’s various performances. It operated successfully for 50 years.
However, in the winter of 1978, a severe blizzard hit Newark. The freezing temperatures cracked the boilers, which leaked water through the ceiling, flooding the lower seating area of the theater. At this point, the building was abandoned, and it sat vacant until the Longaberger Corporation purchased the theater in 1992. It was restored over the next ten years, even after Longaberger’s death in 1999, and it was donated to the Newark Midland Theater Association after the restoration was complete. The Midland Theatre reopened in September 2002, and it has remained in operation since.
The Midland Theatre is definitely more modest in scale and ornamentation than its old neighbor, the Auditorium, but there is still significant detail present:
Two terra-cotta pilasters engraved with ornament rise the length of the second floor, terminating with a small finial. The massive window in the middle is vaulted and features similar spandrels beneath. Finally, the massive sign in the middle boldly advertises the theater.
I didn’t really get any other shots beyond the front facade. It’s pretty standard theater architecture out back, unadorned and functional.
I really like the ticket booth and its curved Moorish columns:
Park National Bank/32 N Park Place
Elevation of the Park National Bank’s original facade. (Newark Walking Tour)
The Park National Bank was a typical skinny Beaux-Arts small-town bank. (Stay tuned for my posts in Sidney and Springfield, which have similar buildings that are unaltered.) This building opened in 1908 and was in use for 50 years, after which the bank moved to a new Modernist structure at the northeast corner of Church Street and 3rd Street. The next occupant was First Federal Savings.
During the 1960s, the original classical facade was replaced by the existing Modernist one. The overall effect is much more dull. Currently, the building houses Schaller, Campbell, & Untied, a law firm.
Cornell Clothing
N Park Place in 1900, looking northwest. The building that Cornell Clothing now occupies is left of middle, immediately to the left of Kuster’s Restaurant. (Newark Walking Tour)
Our penultimate stop is at another Modernist-era facade alteration. The building it occupies was built in the 1860s as a five-bay, three-story Italianate structure. Cornell Clothing opened in 1910, and the two eastern bays were altered in the 1950s or 1960s to this Modernist composition. The walking tour website says it was “renovated in 2011 to reflect its original appearance,” but to what extent is unclear. At present, the building has been shortened a story, but the left three bays appear mostly original beyond the storefronts and balcony.
I like this building, despite the preservationist in me. This was not an architecturally significant building prior to its alteration, and at this point Modern-era designs are being destroyed as fast as Victorian-era ones were during that time period. I think it’s an important example of how downtown structures were being altered during the mid-20th century. The baby blue coloring, offset metal beams, and signage are lovely examples of the more kitschy side of Modernist design, too.
This is pretty cool…
Lansing Block
The Lansing Block as it originally appeared. (Licking County Library)
The Lansing Block was built in 1859 by Preston Janvok in the Italianate style, replacing old log cabins on the site. An early occupant was the Murray House hotel, which was the building’s occupant during the late 19th century. The middle section originally featured a pitched gable, but it was altered at some point in the early 20th century to a Beaux-Arts appearance. As a result, the originally unified building presents as three disparate parts. Additionally, the elaborate cast-iron storefronts were removed, probably during the mid-century era.
It’s a shame that the old ironwork is gone, the existing storefronts look very cheap and do not harmonize with the remaining details. The rest of the building is still very Italianate indeed, featuring elaborate drip molds and a bracketed cornice. I do like the Beaux-Arts section, but it is a bit of a departure from the earlier wings.
For the next installment, I continue south down 3rd Street and east of Courthouse Square.
Sources:
http://www.skylightbanquets.com/about.html
https://www.lickingcountylibrary.org/media/1076/historic-downtown-walking-tour.pdf
https://pocketsights.com/tours/tour/Newark-Historic-Newark-Downtown-Walking-Tour-4865
https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/01001482.pdf
https://pocketsights.com/tours/tour/Newark-Haunted-Newark%3A-A-Ghostly-Walking-Tour-5999
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/28298
https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-newark-advocate/751/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/662248810932318/posts/1833760467114474/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbdY0OWBCEM
https://www.facebook.com/groups/662248810932318/posts/1264027534087773/
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