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For more than 200, years the Wiler name has been associated with a building on the corner of North Main Street and Dickson Ave in Mansfield, Ohio. Swiss immigrant John Jacob Wiler arrived in Mansfield in 1819 and quickly married Margaret Styers on April 25, 1819, who was the daughter of the man he was renting from. The Wiler Tavern or, Wiler House, was born that year. Wiler started as a baker and brewer and later an innkeeper. According to Graham’s History of Richland County, Ohio, Wiler first built a two-story brick building in 1831 on the property he officially acquired from his father-in-law in 1821. Two more stories were added around 1840. The earliest image of the Wiler House comes from the 1869-70 Mansfield City directory. On May 31, 1875, a fire started in the roof of the Wiler House. The building was renovated and at some point, the roof was changed from the flat roof depicted in that early directory illustration to a sloped roof. John Jacob Wiler died on August 1, 1881 at the age of 101. The property was handed down to his daughter Mary (Wiler) Cook and she sold part of the Wiler Block to Sharpless E. Bird in 1895. A portion of the Wiler House would be torn down and Sharpless would construct the Bird Building the following year.On October 9, 1911, an explosion rocked the Wiler Building. Natural Gas had accumulated in the basement and was set off by a pilot light in a gas furnace located in the center of the Risch &amp; McCoy storeroom. There were about 14 workers and some customers in the building at the time of the explosion. Miss Lydia Brumenschenkel would die four weeks later as a result of the injuries she sustained. It was quite a spectacle and many souvenir postcards were sold showing smoke rising from The Wiler.The Wiler was repaired and stood at that location until May of 1927 when it was razed and a new $40,000 Wiler Building was constructed in its place. The Bird Building stood for eighty years and was itself razed in 1977.

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The Wiler name has been associated with a building on the corner of North Main Street and Dickson Ave in Mansfield, Ohio for over 200 years. Swiss immigrant John Jacob Wiler arrived in Mansfield, Ohio in 1819 and quickly set up his business.  The building has changed over the years due to fires and explosions.  It was partially razed in 1895 to make room for the Bird Building and completely razed in 1927 and rebuilt. 

The Wiler Building

This tour features Mansfield buildings which have managed to stand the test of time.  Start at the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, a landmark on West Third Street since 1908 and follow the path to the Booth-Craig House, Old Federal Building, Mansfield Savings Bank, what remains of the grand Wiler, and end your tour at The Mansfield Memorial Museum.

Around 1890 Miss Martha Mercer became the head librarian of the Memorial Library, which was then housed in the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building. Miss Mercer traveled to New York and met with James Bertram, Andrew Carnegie’s secretary. In 1903 Carnegie awarded a grant for $35,000 for the construction of a new library. There were conditions attached to this grant, the city had to supply a site for the new library and provide $2,500 per year for maintenance. At that time the Memorial library had an annual cost of about $2,300 and the library association had $5,000 available from the estate of John C. Larwill to help secure a site. The future looked promising. It took almost two years for a location to be secured and in January of 1905 the site of the Grace Episcopal Church on West Third Street was chosen. A few months later the library board selected Vernon Redding, of Mansfield, as architect for the new building, who also designed the Galion Public Library. The new Mansfield Public Library was dedicated on December 19, 1908 and open for business.In 1914 Miss Mercer retired and Miss Helen Fox succeeded her as head librarian. During World War I the American Red Cross was housed in the assembly room of the library and in October and November of 1918 the library had to close due to Spanish Influenza.  It was during this time, in 1924, that the library changed from a municipal library to a school district library, which allowed the library to increase its support by bringing it under the tax support of the schools. In 1927, Helen Keating, the first children’s librarian was hired. Miss Helen Fox passed away January 2, 1931.Mildred Sandoe replaced Miss Helen Fox as head librarian. Miss Sandoe operated the library through the depression years when circulation elevated and funds were cut. In 1931 the first reference librarian was hired, Lois MacKellar, who would become head librarian in 1937 after Miss Sandoe resigned to work as a state library organizer. Lois MacKellar would serve as head librarian until 1963 and be the last female in that position.The library began outgrowing its space and in 1950 construction started to ease this burden. The most notable changes where the removal of the front steps allowing patrons to enter on the first floor, and an addition added to the back of the building to extend floor space. In August of 1965, the roof caved-in over the circulation area and it took nearly a year for repairs to be completed. In May of 1987 library materials were moved to the Tucker Building on Park Ave. West and construction began on the expansion. In 1989 construction was completed on the Main library, with an opening ceremony on February 12, 1989.

An original Carnegie Library the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library was dedicated on December 19, 1908.  The original building was designed by Mansfield native Vernon Redding, Redding also designed the Galion, Ohio Library and various buildings in Ashland county.  Changes were made in 1950, the most notable where the removal of the front steps allowing patrons to enter on the first floor, and an addition added to the back of the building to extend floor space.  Additions were again made in 1989, adding east and west wings tripling the size of the library.

Mansfield/Richland County Public Library

It was around 1879 that Booth made a contribution to Mansfield that is still around today, but until recently, it was attributed to another. The Booth-Craig House sits on the northwest corner of Mulberry and West Thirds Streets and is today the home of the Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to architectural historian Craig Bobby and Oak Hill Cottage, we once again know the true beginning of this structure. The 1882 Mansfield City Atlas clearly shows Booth’s name on the property and newspaper articles chronicle its construction, saying it will “be one of the finest, if not the finest, residence in the city” and its architect was none other than Levi C. Scofield, the architect of the Ohio State Reformatory. Chamber building combines both Victorian and Queen Anne architecture. The stained glass was imported from Europe and the block marble for the five fireplaces was quarried in Vermont. Edge brass hardware throughout the house was made in Hartford, CT and the homes woodwork was milled locally from oak, cherry, and walnut; the main door was inlaid with curly maple. The Chamber began a search for new headquarters in November 1974 and, in May 1977, the property at 55 North Mulberry Street, Mansfield, OH was purchased. Renovation was completed in 1978. In 2001, work began on more extensive renovations to restore much of the building to its original beauty. A new slate roof was laid down, masonry work was completed, painting was done and windows were repaired.

Located on the Northwest corner of North Mulberry and West Third Street's the Booth-Craig House is today the home to the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce.  The house was constructed between 1879 and 1881 at a cost of $15,000 by Orin H. Booth.  The architect for the home was Levi C. Scofield, architect for the Ohio State Reformatory.  Booth, superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph office in Mansfield, only lived in the home for two years before his death at the age of 52.  A year after his death Dr. James W. Craig bought the home from Booth's widow.  In May of 1977, the Richland County Chamber of Commerce purchased the building and completed renovations the following year.

Booth-Craig House

There had been a discussion of a new Federal Building to house the Post Office for more than twenty years in Mansfield before the erection of the building on the corner of North Mulberry and West Fourth Streets. An article in the Mansfield News from December 7, 1907, said that many “smaller cities had secured public buildings though [they were] less entitled to them than Mansfield.” It was suggested that “a federal building should be determined largely by the amount of its post office and other government business,” but this was not the case. If it had been, Mansfield would “have secured what cities of lesser federal importance [had] been granted.” This changed with the election of Republican Jay Ford Laning to the Sixtieth Congress (March 4, 1907-March 3, 1909). Laning reportedly wrote to a friend in Mansfield in February of 1907, before his term started, saying he would “move very early in the December session for an appropriation for a government building at Mansfield.” Laning, with the cooperation of Senators Foraker and Dick, followed through on his promise and, by May of 1908, the passage of an omnibus bill with appropriations of $100,000 for a federal building in Mansfield was assured. The discussion immediately began on where the building should be placed and everyone seemed to have an opinion. Some of the early suggestions were the southwest or northwest corners of North Walnut and West Third Streets, the southeast or northeast corners of North Diamond and East Fourth Streets, or somewhere between North Main Street and North Walnut. Ultimately, the decision would be made by non-residents of the city. On June 3, 1908, an ad appeared in the Mansfield News requesting proposals be mailed to Secretary of Treasury for the sale or donation of a suitable site. On October 16, 1908, inspector James P. Lowe arrived to look at the proposed sites. After much delay, in March of 1909, the Loughridge property was purchased for $20,000. Buildings were demolished or moved, lawsuits were filed to prevent the destruction of trees lining Mulberry Street, and the site was cleared. Then nothing happened. The site sat empty, a sarcastic line appeared in the Mansfield News, saying “Cheer up! We have a site for a federal building anyhow.” One merchant, John H. Miller, even tried to capitalize on the delay by putting “The New Federal Building” in big letters at the top of an advertisement. Finally, in January of 1912, bids were sought for the construction of the new building. Almost immediately, residents protested saying the building was not big enough to meet the needs of the city, even though it was nearly triple the size of the current post office, nor of “such character as will be a credit to Mansfield.” This caused Vernon Redding, the architect of the recently completed public library, to defend the structure. Comparing it to other buildings in the city, he said it would more than meet the city’s needs and be “the most beautiful and imposing structure in Mansfield” upon its completion. Postmaster Benedict also stepped up in support of the building saying it was better than some secured by larger cities. In February of 1912, Huntington Brown, president of the Chamber of Commerce, traveled to Washington D. C. and was successful in getting some changes made, including enlarging the structure. James Corse, of Racine, Wisconsin, was awarded the contract for the construction of the building and, after many delays, the cornerstone of the new building was laid on Tuesday, November 19, 1912, at 2:30 p.m. The building progressed quickly and, on October 22, 1913, the stonework was completed. The building was expected to be completed on November 1, 1913, but delays in getting approval from Washington on the marble and lighting fixtures used pushed back the opening. The new date of completion was March 1. Delays in obtaining the marble for the lobby pushed back the date even further. The last of the marble finally arrived on May 21, 1914. On Friday night, June 12, 1914, thousands of people inspected the new building, nodding with approval. The following Monday, June 15, the post office moved into their new headquarters and Mayor Marquis received the first letter from the Mansfield News. The post office moved to its current location, the 8-million dollar Jackson E. Betts Federal Building, in early 1973. The Mansfield Board of Education would later move into the old post office building. Today the building is home to Weldon, Huston &amp; Keyser, L.L.P.

The old federal building was completed and opened to the public on July 15, 1914, after years of hard work by local and state politicians.   Six years earlier Congressmen Jay Ford Lanning, with the help of Senators Foraker and Dick secured $100,000 for the building and purchase of a suitable site.  In March of 1909, the Loughridge property was purchased for $20,000 and plans were made for the building.  Some residents not happy with the size petitioned to have the plans changed and in February of 1912, Huntington Brown, president of the Chamber of Commerce, traveled to Washington D. C. and was successful in getting some changes made, including enlarging the structure.  The Mansfield Board of Education would later move into the building.  Today the building is home to Weldon, Huston & Keyser, L.L.P.

The Old Federal Building

In an article in the February 5, 1967 edition of the Mansfield News Journal, Paul L. White wrote about the beginnings of the Mansfield Savings Bank and the economic conditions present in the city of Mansfield at the time of its inception. During the depression, following the Civil War, people lost faith in banks and the leading bank in Mansfield closed. Citizens began hiding their money in their homes leading to an uptick in robberies and the occasional incident of someone burning their money in their stove, forgetting it was hidden there. A few leading men of Mansfield worked up the nerve to start a bank in early 1873: Michael D. Harter of Aultman &amp; Taylor, Gen. Roeliff Brinkerhoff, Col. Barnabus Burns, and others. There were 110 original stockholders and the bank was capitalized for $32,500. They purchased the lot on the corner of Fourth and Main, known as Lamberton Corner, and began construction of the bank building. On Wednesday, October 15, 1873, the bank officially opened for business. The following week the Ohio Liberal newspaper described the building as being “renaissance style, two stories in height, with Mansard roof. The beautiful design is the work of Mr. A. B. Alger, who is fast gaining a reputation as an architect, equaled by none in the state.” The rooms inside were “elegantly finished, with the best seasoned walnut, some of which was taken from the old barn, formally standing on the ‘Johns’ homestead near the old junction, and is probably upwards to 50 years old.” This seasoned walnut would eventually make it into the home of Mary B. Gilbert, the granddaughter of Roeliff Brinkerhoff. The building was remodeled in 1888 completely changing the appearance. An addition was made to the rear and the Mansard roof was removed and replaced with gables and a turret. The building served the bank well for 40 years. On June 10, 1912, the Mansfield Savings Bank acquired the building directly to the north of the bank from the Martin Frank estate. Charles F. Ackerman, president of the bank at the time, said both buildings would be torn down and a new bank would be built in its place. Early rumors were that a modern, fireproof, seven-story business block would be built. On December 17, 1912, the Mansfield News published the description and an image of the proposed structure. The $100,000 building, designed by local architect Vernon Redding, would be “one of the finest in the state,” constructed of reinforced concrete and granite. It would be one story with a basement and mezzanine. In April of 1913, construction began on the building to the north of the site of the new bank building to temporarily house the bank during construction. Once they moved into their temporary location on July 12, 1913, the razing of the two buildings on the corner began. On September 18, 1913, with no celebration, the cornerstone of the new Mansfield Savings Bank was laid. A copper box containing photographs, newspapers, almanacs, and a history of the bank was included. This may have been the most-watched construction of a building in the city’s history as hundreds of people stopped daily to check the progress. Many passed the structure while conducting their daily business, but many were also drawn to witness the construction methods used. This included the use of two big derricks, placed in the center of the building, which was used to hoist blocks of stone and materials. On July 31, 1913, one derrick, being used during excavation, fell to the ground. Luckily no one was injured. On New Year’s Day, 1915, the bank was opened for public inspection and many marveled at the beauty of the structure. The building is in the style of Italian Renaissance architecture. “The exterior of the building is constructed of Concord granite, and from the base up to the bottom of the big columns … the granite is polished so that it will not be marred by any scratch that might be put upon it.” In 1953 the Mansfield Savings Trust National Bank combined with Citizens National Bank and Trust Company to create the First National Bank of Mansfield. After an addition to the former Citizens National Bank, the banking facilities were consolidated to one location, and Mansfield Savings Bank was sold. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Mansfield Savings Bank has stood at this location since its inception.  The bank first opened to the public on October 15, 1873.  The original building was twice remodeled, before it was razed in 1913.  On New Year’s Day, 1915, the new bank was opened for public inspection and many marveled at the beauty of the structure.  The building is in the style of Italian Renaissance architecture.  “The exterior of the building is constructed of Concord granite, and from the base up to the bottom of the big columns … the granite [was] polished so that it will not be marred by any scratch that might be put upon it.”  

Mansfield Savings Bank

For more than 200, years the Wiler name has been associated with a building on the corner of North Main Street and Dickson Ave in Mansfield, Ohio. Swiss immigrant John Jacob Wiler arrived in Mansfield in 1819 and quickly married Margaret Styers on April 25, 1819, who was the daughter of the man he was renting from. The Wiler Tavern or, Wiler House, was born that year. Wiler started as a baker and brewer and later an innkeeper. According to Graham’s History of Richland County, Ohio, Wiler first built a two-story brick building in 1831 on the property he officially acquired from his father-in-law in 1821. Two more stories were added around 1840. The earliest image of the Wiler House comes from the 1869-70 Mansfield City directory. On May 31, 1875, a fire started in the roof of the Wiler House. The building was renovated and at some point, the roof was changed from the flat roof depicted in that early directory illustration to a sloped roof.  John Jacob Wiler died on August 1, 1881 at the age of 101. The property was handed down to his daughter Mary (Wiler) Cook and she sold part of the Wiler Block to Sharpless E. Bird in 1895. A portion of the Wiler House would be torn down and Sharpless would construct the Bird Building the following year. On October 9, 1911, an explosion rocked the Wiler Building. Natural Gas had accumulated in the basement and was set off by a pilot light in a gas furnace located in the center of the Risch &amp; McCoy storeroom. There were about 14 workers and some customers in the building at the time of the explosion. Miss Lydia Brumenschenkel would die four weeks later as a result of the injuries she sustained. It was quite a spectacle and many souvenir postcards were sold showing smoke rising from The Wiler. The Wiler was repaired and stood at that location until May of 1927 when it was razed and a new $40,000 Wiler Building was constructed in its place. The Bird Building stood for eighty years and was itself razed in 1977.

Over a dozen Civil War memorial halls were constructed throughout Ohio in the late 1800s. Serving as both monuments and useful public facilities, they were popular with communities throughout the state. Mansfield’s memorial hall was supported by a special act of the Ohio legislature and by issuing bonds. Oscar Cobb, a prominent Chicago architect known for his work on theaters, was chosen to design the structure. Built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style with a sandstone exterior, what is now known as the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building was begun in 1887 and dedicated on October 2nd, 1889. Originally, it housed the library on the first floor, meeting halls for the Grand Army of the Republic on the second floor, and a theater on the third floor. An 1,100-seat auditorium, first known as the Library Hall and later as the Opera House, was constructed in 1889 adjacent to the Memorial Building to fund its counterpart’s public functions, which it did quite successfully. After it was completed, in 1892, Edward Wilkinson established the Mansfield Memorial Museum on the third floor of the Memorial Building. Wilkinson had been an artifact buyer for the Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Natural History Museum, and the Peabody Field Museum, and had amassed an impressive personal collection, which he donated to his new Museum. The Museum was quite popular, receiving 65,000 visitors by 1900. (Mansfield’s population at the time was around 14,000.) The library moved out to a new structure donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1908. The Opera House burnt to the ground in catastrophic fire that killed two people on the night of February 10th, 1929; however, the Memorial Building was barely damaged due to a strong fire wall separating the two structures. A new auditorium, an ornate art deco building that could seat 1,500 people, was designed by New York theater architect John Eberhard. It was christened the Madison Theater, and it was used until 1986, when it was demolished. The Museum was closed by the fire marshal in 1955 but reopened to the public in 1999. Today, it features uniforms and memorabilia from every major American war; over a thousand models of military vehicles and aircraft; a diverse natural history collection, including medicinal plants, animals and insects from Ohio and Africa, and original trees planted by “Johnny Appleseed”; and artifacts from local history, especially local industries. This last collection includes “Elektro,” the famous robot built by Westinghouse at their Mansfield plant between 1937 and 1938 for the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Elektro was the premier example of a series of humanoid Westinghouse robots that began with “Herbert Televox,” the first humanoid robot, in 1928. (The Museum also has the surviving parts and a full-size model of Herbert Televox.) Elektro could walk, talk, count on his fingers, blow up balloons, and even smoke cigarettes, all by specially-coded voice commands. After the fair, he toured, appeared on television shows and B movies, and spent some time at an amusement park before disappearing. His pieces were slowly rediscovered, and Elektro was reassembled for display in the Museum.

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building is a sandstone, Richardsonian Romanesque-style building in Mansfield, Ohio, and is one of the few remaining Civil War memorial halls in the state. It has been the location of both veterans group meetings and the Mansfield Memorial Museum since shortly after its dedication in 1889; it was also home to the town library until 1908. An adjacent opera house was built to fund the Memorial Building’s public functions. It burnt in 1929 and was replaced by the Madison Theater, which was demolished in 1986. The Museum includes exhibits about military history, natural history, local history, and industrial history, including the famous robot “Elektro,” built for the 1939 World’s Fair at Westinghouse’s Mansfield plant.

Historic Building Walking Tour

The Wiler Building

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information