Architects Joseph Yost and Frank Packard in Ohio: Allen, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Seneca, Van Wert and Wood Counties

PLEASE NOTE: The blog contains quite a few pictures so give it several minutes to download. They download haphazardly.

This blog showcases the known designs of Columbus architects Joseph Warren Yost & Frank Lucius Packard in Allen, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Wood Counties of Ohio. These two architects were in partnership during the years 1892-1899; each practiced separately before and after this period of time. The history of these structures has not been studied. The blog’s purpose is to generate local appreciation of these treasures, inspire research/promotion of them, and save/value those that remain. The Yost & Packard firm, nationally recognized, would likely be considered one of Ohio’s most significant.

A few comments regarding this blog:

Yost & Packard designed a significant number of facilities that housed people: asylums, children’s homes, prisons, jails, etc. Several appear in this blog.
The Wood County Courthouse (Bowling Green) construction was the subject of tons of statewide press. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Joseph Yost and Frank Packard. The thought of that was just plain amusing considering their stature in the architectural field. The issue was resolved in their favor as described in an article included in the blog.
I got sidetracked. Added a bit of non-Y&P. LOL

I would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance in contributing to this blog: Kelly Schroeder, Putnam County Library District; Kelly Taylor, Paulding County Carnegie Library.

Published 11/15/2022 by Don Foster. donfoster73@gmail.com

Allen County

**Lima: Lima High School (later renamed Central High School). Built 1906.**
**Designed by Packard. Above rendering: *The Times Democrat* (Lima) 12/23/1905. Razed.**

**Lima: West Ward School (Franklin Elementary School): North Street. Built 1908.**
**Designed by Packard. Razed.**

**The Lima schools previously pictured shared the same city block.**

**Lima: Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. 301 West Market Street. Built 1910.**
**Designed by Packard.**

**Lima: Moose Lodge. 221 West North Street. Built 1922. Designed by Packard. Razed. Unable to locate an actual picture. Maybe a blog reader will have one. Above from *The Lima News* 7/30/1919.**

**Lima: Lima State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. 2338 North West Street. Built 1908-15. Seventeen buildings. Was the largest asylum in the U.S. Designed by Packard.** Closed in 2004.
**Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution sits on this site today with a much smaller footprint.**

Unable to determine if Packard designed this school in Shawnee Township. Above article is from the *Allen County Republican* 7/14/1914 and the article below is from *The Lima News* 8/8/1913. Remains a mystery.

**A must when in downtown Lima. 111 North Elizabeth Street. Great burgers.**
**Within walking distance of the Packard-designed Trinity M.E. Church.**

Lucas County

**Toledo: Collingwood Avenue Presbyterian Church. 2108 Collingwood Avenue. Built 1899.**
**Designed by Yost & Packard. General contractor was Henry J. Karg of Westerville who is the subject of a separate blog.**

**Morning sun behind the building. Not good for picture-taking.**
**Next time will know to get there in the evening.**

Toledo: Toledo Asylum for the Insane. Corner Detroit and Arlington Avenues. Built 1884-87 and opened January 1888. Thirty-four buildings designed by Yost and by Edward O. Fallis of Toledo. Renamed Toledo State Hospital in 1894. Razed.
**Today this space is occupied by the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital.**

**Above: Administration Building and Chapel. Below: Women’s Hospital.**
**Photo credit: toledostatehospitalcemetery.org.**

**Above and below: Cottages.**
**Photo credit: toledostatehospitalcemetery.org.**

**Toledo: First Church of Christ Scientist. 2704 Monroe Street. Built 1898. Designed by Yost & Packard and Edward O. Fallis of Toledo. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.** Photo credit: 1978 picture submitted on the National Register nomination form by the State Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection.

**Now United Missionary Baptist Church.**

Paulding County

**Melrose: Melrose High School. Built 1916. Designed by Packard.** **Razed, but the bricks were repurposed as described below in an interesting article.**
**Photo credit: Paulding County Carnegie Library.**

*Van Wert Times-Bulletin* 10/21/1999. Photo credit: Paulding County Carnegie Library.

**Paulding: rear addition to the grade/high school. Built 1917. Designed by Packard. Razed.**
**Photo credit: Paulding County Carnegie Library.**

Putnam County

A bonus discovery with this building: Turns out the courthouse was the initial location of Ottawa’s first library in 1924 (today the main branch of the Putnam County District Library). It was founded by my great-grandmother Maize Hauck Frey. Also discovered that great aunt Julia Kersting worked many years in the County Auditor’s office located in this building.
**Here’s an opportunity to add some family history to a blog. More below 🙂**

**Maize and husband Edwin Leslie “Les” Frey. Their house at 543 East Main Street, just a few short blocks from the courthouse, still stands today.**

Les Frey entered the hardware business in 1877 at the age of 16. The store, pictured on the left with a porch covering the sidewalk, was caddy corner to the courthouse. It had a toy section on the upper floor. I remember visiting there in the 1960’s.

**A not very good photocopy of a not very good photocopy. Interior of Frey Hardware.**

**On the left, a typical modernized front that became popular in the 1950’s. Original brick front and second floor windows covered. A later redo on the right.** **The building is currently empty.**
Last occupant was the *Putnam County Sentinel*.

Seneca County

**Tiffin: Columbian High School. East Market Street. Built 1893. Designed by Yost & Packard.**
**Photo credit: Tiffin-Seneca Public Library.**

**Photo credit: Tiffin-Seneca Public Library.**

**Today the building is empty and advertised for redevelopment. Let’s hope so.**

**Front entry. Note the mailbox slot on the right.**
**The picture below was taken looking through the slot.**

**A later addition at the rear has been removed.**

**Tiffin: College Hill School #2. 315 East Market Street. Built 1912-13. Designed by Packard.**

**Today this well-maintained former public school is Aigler Alumni Building**
**at Heidelberg University**. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

**Hidden from view by the large shrub to the right of the entryway.**
**It was a tight squeeze to get this picture.**

Tiffin: Junior Order United American Mechanics Orphans’ Home. 600 North Township Road. Rendering by Yost & Packard which appears in their circa 1898 promotional publication *Portfolio of Architectural Realities*. Their design was not selected. Charles Ernst of Tiffin was the architect for this massive self-contained community established in 1896 that grew to approximately 50 buildings. It closed in 1944. Several original buildings remain though they appear to be empty. **Today, with a much smaller footprint, this is the Tiffin Developmental Center** **serving individuals with mental disabilities.**

**The pictures above and below are what the complex looked like back when the orphans’ home was operational.**

Van Wert County

Van Wert: Van Wert High School. West Crawford Street. Built 1913. Designed by Packard. Above rendering is from the *Van Wert Daily Bulletin* 11/5/1910. A photo of what was actually built is below. It appears in a descriptive article (including the floor plans) in
*The American School Board Journal* of 1913. **Razed.**

Wood County

The Columbus Dispatch 2/28/1896. This controversy went on for months and was frequently reported on by newspapers all over the state. Warrants for the arrest of Yost & Packard were even issued. Perhaps this may be why a different architect was selected for the jail of similar style that was built a few years later. It can be seen in the postcard below…at the rear of the courthouse.

**Wood County Jail, but not a Yost & Packard design. No longer used as a jail.**

Bowling Green: Judge Guy C. and Emma Rockwood Nearing residence. 220 Court Street. Listed in the Yost & Packard circa 1898 promotional publication. Does not appear on the 1900 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, but does in 1908. Apartments today.

**This was a surprising Ebay find. Nearing house is the second one. Gate on the porch no longer there today and probably some other ornamentation has been removed. Postmarked 1915.**

**The above picture was taken from the steps of the courthouse.**
**An easy commute to work** **for Judge Nearing.**

**Photo credit: Find-A-Grave. Obit below indicates captured by the enemy in the Civil War.**

**Bowling Green: First Presbyterian Church. South Church Street. Built 1888. Designed by Yost. Destroyed by fire in 1919.**

**Bowling Green: Ohio Central Lines depot. Built 1903. Designed by Packard. Razed.**

**North Baltimore: Church of Christ. 101 East Walnut Street. Built 1897. Designed by Yost & Packard.**

And while you’re in the NW Ohio area…

**Findlay: Mazza Museum at the University of Findlay. 201 College Street.**
**Houses over 300 original children’s book illustrations. Unique!!!**

**Findlay: Hancock Historical Museum. 422 West Sandusky Street.**
**The museum bell collection below…also unique!!!**

**Findlay: Wilson’s Sandwich Shop. 600 South Main Street, downtown.**
**Great burgers!!! Photo credit: Jeanie Hickman.**

7 Comments

colleenkasson says:

November 15, 2022 at 10:58 pm

Another excellent report on Y&P in OH. I really loved reading about your family history and seeing the pictures of the hardware store.

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1. Don in Westerville says:
  
  November 16, 2022 at 6:30 am
  
  Thanks, Colleen!! 🙂
  
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shamrockgirl56 says:

November 17, 2022 at 2:31 am

I didn’t realize prep for historical writings entailed the “parting of the bushes” for some pics.

How neat to have a brick home constructed of school daze.

Realizing how many mental facilities were designed by Packard & Yost has me wondering about Cambridge? Athens?

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg

LikeLiked by 1 person

1. Don in Westerville says:
  
  November 17, 2022 at 6:33 am
  
  LOL on bushes comment!! Packard designed at least four of the cottages at Athens State Hospital. Yost designed the Guernsey County Children’s Home.
  
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jeff Kasson says:

November 21, 2022 at 10:33 am

Hi Don – Another great read! I will have to add to my spring list to motorcycle over to NW Ohio to see all of these wonderful things, and to eat some tasty burgers. Thank you again for all of the time you spend creating this blog. It is very interesting, and always a good read. I’ve used your blogs to guide my summer trips around Ohio. Nice job, and keep up the great work.

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1. Don in Westerville says:
  
  November 21, 2022 at 11:41 am
  
  Thanks, Jeff!!! Much appreciated!!! I rarely receive comments. Rarely.
  
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Steven Flower says:

November 26, 2022 at 3:51 am

Love it, Don!

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