Lima, Ohio

The Allen County Museum is located in the city of Lima, the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. Occupying a half city block, the museum campus includes the main museum building, a log house, the MacDonell House (a Victorian mansion), a Shay Locomotive display, the Children's Discovery Center, genealogy and local history library, railroad archives, and the Children's Garden. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. According to recent reports of the American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Department, less than 800 museums, out of more than 11,000 in the United States, are accredited. Standards for accreditation apply across the board to both small and large institutions.

The Neely–Sieber House is a historic house on the west side of Lima, Ohio, United States. Designed by George S. Mills and built in 1904, the house combines elements of the Colonial Revival and Georgian architectural styles.

The United States Post Office in Lima, Ohio, United States is a historic Neoclassical building erected in 1930. Located along High Street west of the center of the city, the post office is one of the newest major buildings in the city's downtown.: 5 

The Hotel Argonne is a historic hotel in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built in 1919, the hotel was dedicated to veterans of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during the recently concluded World War. Designed by Andrew DeCurtins, the heavily ornamented ten-story hotel is built of limestone and brick. Among the exterior features are spandrels and pilasters with triple entablatures on the lowest two floors, plus a cornice with plentiful dentils and parapets. Inside, the lobby includes marble, various types of wood, and large amounts of decorative molding. In 1982, the Hotel Argonne was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture. It was part of the "Lima Multiple Resource Area," a group of seventeen architecturally significant Lima buildings that were added to the Register together. Like several other buildings in this collection, the hotel was among the last major structures erected in Lima's most prosperous years, during which oil wealth and the success of the Lima Locomotive Works were the most important parts of a thriving economy.

The former Elks Lodge (B.P.O. E. #54) is a historic building in Lima, Ohio, United States. The lodge was the fifty-fourth of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks to be chartered; it is the largest lodge in Ohio. It is located within the Ohio West Central District No. 7120. The original lodge building, built in 1909, has been sold and is, as of 2019, used by Tabernacle Baptist Church. The lodge building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 1982. It was one of seventeen Lima buildings listed on the Register as a group, the "Lima Multiple Resource Area." Of these buildings, it was one of the newest. Around the time of its construction in the early twentieth century, oil and railroading had taken Lima's economy to an extremely prosperous point.

The Ohio Theatre is a historic movie theater in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built in 1927, the theater is a brick and concrete structure featuring multiple architectural styles. Outside, large amounts of terracotta details produce a Churrigueresque appearance, while Corinthian columns, marble and mosaic floors, and a massive chandelier produce an Italianate interior. A movie palace constructed for the Schine Corporation, the theater was built at a time when improvements in transportation increased Lima's significance in the lives of those living in surrounding communities. As cars became more widely available and various means of public transportation became more viable, Lima became a center of daily life for many residents of rural northwestern Ohio, and many theaters such as the Ohio were built to serve them.: 2  In addition to its original purpose, the Ohio Theatre has served to host stage performances by a wide range of entertainers. Individuals as well known as Bob Hope have graced the theater's ornate interior. In 1982, the Ohio Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of a collection of buildings designated the "Lima Multiple Resource Area." Designated as historic sites because of their architecture, these buildings were deemed worthy of historic preservation primarily because of the city's architectural history: although Lima had once been home to a large number of architecturally valuable buildings, an unusually large percentage of them had been destroyed or abandoned to ruin.: 3 

The Allen County Courthouse is an historic courthouse building located at the corner of North Main Street & East North Street in Lima, Ohio, United States. In 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Klaus Block is a historic building in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built along Main Street in 1870, it is a rectangular three-story structure built in a Victorian variant of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The exterior features a simple rectangular shape of three bays on each side, topped with a hip roof of asphalt. Decorations such as brick corbelling and stone trim highlight the interior. Many types of businesses have occupied space in the Klaus Block through its history. In its earliest years, the block's builder operated a butcher shop in the building, and a speakeasy operated in a ballroom on the topmost floor during Prohibition. A pharmacy has always been run in its southeastern (frontmost) corner. During the 1870s, the increasing importance of the railroad industry to Lima's northern side resulted in the northward expansion of the city's downtown. The Klaus Block was one of several large buildings erected in the city at this time; among these structures was the Allen County Courthouse, which is also located to the north of the original downtown. In 1982, the Klaus Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its architectural significance. It was one of seventeen Lima buildings that were listed on the National Register together as part of the Lima Multiple Resource Area.

The Renz Block was a historic commercial building in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Located along North Main Street across from the Allen County Courthouse, the block was built in 1900 in a late variant of the Victorian style. A three-story building, the Renz Block was constructed primarily of brick with stone details; the roof was flat and made of asphalt. Among its leading aspects were an elaborate parapet and a heavily decorated facade, including windows with doubly sashed transom lights. The Renz Block was named for baker Jacob Renz, its second owner, who founded a bakery on North Main in 1887. By 1903, his business had expanded to the point that he needed to purchase larger premises; accordingly, he bought a nearby three-year-old building and established his business there. For many years, the company was a leading part of the local economy; at the time of its sale to another company in 1958, it was the largest bakery in Allen County. When the Renz Block was constructed, Lima was in the middle of an economic boom prompted by the recent discovery of petroleum in the nearby vicinity; the city's population had grown by 300% in the previous fifteen years, and many large buildings were being erected in the city's downtown. Its architecture was comparable to or superior to that of many other period buildings; a 1980 survey ranked it as one of the most prominent examples of late nineteenth-century architecture remaining in the city. In recognition of its significant architecture, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, along with seventeen other downtown buildings. Another of these buildings was the nearby Metropolitan Block, which remained an even better example of late nineteenth-century architecture than the Renz Block. Since that time, the Renz Block has been demolished; although it is still listed on the National Register, a parking lot sits at its location.

The First National Bank and Trust Building is a historic building on Public Square in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. The rectangular building, completed in 1926, was designed by Weary & Alford Company, an architectural firm from Chicago. It was the location of the offices of the First National Bank and Trust Company from 1926 until 1974, when the company became a part of Huntington Bank. The structure's twelve stories are faced with Indiana Limestone. Each column of windows is topped with an arch window on the highest floor, and the spandrels between the arch windows are connected to each other. Founded as the "Lima Trust Company" in 1903, the First National Bank and Trust used a Masonic building in its earliest years. Starting in 1906, it operated in a smaller building (now destroyed), which served as its offices until it moved into its newly erected structure in 1926. During the early twentieth century, the influence of railroads and the oil industry caused Lima to be a very prosperous city. Many large buildings, including two skyscrapers, were built in the city's downtown; the majority of these new structures employed the Chicago Style of architecture. With the decline of the city's economy later in the century, the construction of large buildings in central Lima ceased — virtually all new construction took place in the city's outskirts or suburbs — thus making the First National Bank and Trust one of the newest major buildings in downtown Lima.: 2  In recognition of its historic significance, the First National Bank and Trust was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was one of seventeen Lima buildings that was added to the National Register as part of the "Lima Multiple Resource Area," a Multiple Property Submission that concentrated on architecturally significant buildings in or near downtown Lima.: 3  Aside from its importance as a historic site, the First National Bank and Trust Building plays a leading part in local ornithology: the building is a nesting site for peregrine falcons and is part of the Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project.

The Lima Memorial Hall is a historic performing arts center and city hall on the edge of downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Designed by the architectural company of Dawson & McLaughlin and named for local military veterans, the Beaux-Arts building was built in 1908. A dominating aspect of its architecture is the massive marble staircase that rises from the foyer to a second-floor open balcony. As a performing arts center, Memorial Hall has hosted concerts by John Philip Sousa's band, Victor Borge, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and singers from the Boston and Chicago opera companies. It no longer serves as the city hall; the municipal offices are now located on Public Square at the center of the city. The building was featured in the August 1911 issue of The Ohio Architect, Engineer, and Builder magazine "to illustrate the work of the architectural firm, Dawson and McLaughlin....It is a handsome example of Beaux Arts Classicism." In 1979, Memorial Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both its architecture and its contribution to local history were significant enough to qualify it for listing by themselves. As of 1979, the building had not ever been expanded, but its entry doors and its windows were all replaced in 1971.

The Metropolitan Block is a historic commercial building along North Main Street in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built in 1890 at the middle of Lima's petroleum boom, it is historically significant as a well-preserved example of Romanesque Revival architecture.