May 2026.
After visiting Westerville recently, I had some spare time and decided to travel back to Newark to retake some photos. I did this for several reasons, in large part due to the fact that the Home Building Association Bank (designed by Louis Sullivan) was closed for renovations when I first visited in January 2025, but has since reopened. I also wasn’t satisfied with my cursory coverage of downtown and the poor weather that day. I didn’t seek out to redo everything, just bolster what existing photos I had, and get more of some more notable buildings. This article is an example of the latter category.
The Union Block is a large Gothic Revival commercial building in Newark. It uses Venetian Gothic forms, which are rare on Gothic Revival buildings, especially ones that are not churches. Its unique design and detailed ornamentation were features that I didn’t document well upon my first visit.
The Union Block is located at 21-39 West Church Street in downtown Newark, Ohio. It is bordered by Church Street and the Masonic Temple to the north, the Newark Arcade to the south, commercial buildings to the east, and 4th Street to the west.
History
The building’s exterior c. 1904. Note the now-absent decorative gables above the cornice. (Newark Walking Tour)
The Union Block doesn’t have much history available online, and I couldn’t find any sources other than the ones I used for my previous coverage. Its construction began in 1903, but a fire in December destroyed parts of the incomplete building. The Union Block was rebuilt and opened in 1904. Note the above image’s label of the “Powers-Miller Company Building”--this was the name of the first department store to open inside the building. The name “Union Block” came from a contest where Newark residents voted on the building’s name.
The Union Block was built as a commercial building, and it has housed numerous department stores and small businesses during its lifetime. The longest operating tenant was Stewart Bros. Furniture, which operated from 1906 to 1992. It also had a ballroom on the second floor, known as the “Crystal Ballroom.” The Odd Fellows used portions of the building for their meetings, before their 1928 building on West Main Street was completed.
Photos
Oblique view from the intersection of Church and 4th:
This shot gives a pretty good look at the entire building. It is symmetrical and has a rather wide facade, taking up the footprint of about five typical “Main Street” buildings.
Most of the facade is very regular, though there are some rhythmic features, such as the slightly protruding bays:
These two bays especially are barer, but they are still interesting. The storefronts have been altered.
The central bay with its three large arched openings is very much the star of the show here. The columns and arches are very indicative of Venetian Gothic architecture.
Each arch terminates in a florid cluster, and the gaps between arches are filled with stone circles:
Very close detail of the cornice, which uses a trefoil motif also common in Gothic architecture:
One of the smaller arched windows that border the larger openings:
One of the more typical windows on the facade, which have rounded, segmental arches:
The 4th Street facade:
This portion is more regular in its design and lacks the fancier details that the Church Street side has.
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