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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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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.
