Architects Joseph Yost and Frank Packard in Ohio: Ashland, Erie, Holmes, Huron, Knox, Richland and Wayne 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 Ashland, Erie, Holmes, Huron, Knox, Richland and Wayne 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…
Notable to me are three school buildings of frame construction and rather uncommon design.
A Presbyterian church of pink sandstone construction is included here. It’s among several designed by Packard that appear in a blog previously published. A link to it is provided.
Perhaps readers of this blog will be able to produce pictures of the designs that could not be located.
Thank you to the following individuals for their assistance in contributing to this blog: Sara Fisher, Ashland County Historical Society; David R. Greer, Knox County Agricultural Museum; Denise D. Monbarren, College of Wooster Special Collections.
Ashland County
Ashland: Samaritan Hospital. 1025 Center Street. Built 1912. Designed by Packard to give the appearance of a palatial home. Razed.Ashland: Jesse Lewis and Mary Aditha Swineford Clark residence. 622 Center Street. Built 1917/18. Designed by Packard. The Clarks funded the construction of Samaritan Hospital. Mr. Clark was president of Hess and Clark, Inc.Photo credit above and below: Ashland County Historical Society.Circa 1950. Photo credit: Historic Ashland County by Betty Plank.Ashland Times-Gazette 5/2/1987.Today, Good Shepherd Nursing Home.
Erie County
Castalia (of Margaretta Township): high school. 305 South Washington Street. Built 1922/23. Designed by Packard. Sandusky Register 4/5/1923.
Still occupied and expanded. There are plans to replace the complex…meaning this Packard design is, sadly, threatened.Margaretta Township grade school (bottom picture). Bardshar Road. Built 1923. Designed by Packard. Razed. Sandusky Star Journal 4/5/1923.Sandusky: Carnegie Library. 114 West Adams Street. Built 1901. Designed by D’Oench & Yost. (Yost had relocated his practice to New York City by 1901.) The interior has been modernized, but the exterior remains a stunner. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Today, still the library.Sandusky: Ninth Ward School, also known as Monroe School. 328 East Monroe Street. Built 1895/6. Designed by Yost & Packard. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Photo credit: Yost & Packard’s promotional publication Portfolio of Archtectural Realities.Today, Monroe Preparatory Academy.Sandusky: Nurses’ Cottage at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home. Route 250 at DeWitt Avenue. Built 1910. Designed by Packard. Razed.
Holmes County
Holmes County: expect the unexpected on the back roads.Glenmont: public school. SW corner Glenmont & Monroe Streets. Built 1901. Designed by Packard.Razed.Photo credit (and also the 3 below): Holmes County District Public Library.The Packard-designed building was razed and replaced by this new build in 1920 (not designed by Packard).Today the 1920 building is no longer used as a school. Students in the Glenmont area attend schools in the West Holmes Local School District.Millersburg: Holmes County Courthouse. 1 East Jackson Street. Built 1884-86. Designed by Yost.Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo credit: Yost & Packard’s promotional publication Portfolio of Archtectural Realities.The courthouse under construction. Photo credit above and below: Holmes County District Public Library.
Today.Photo credit: Facebook.The courthouse shares the block with the old county jail which now houses government offices.Millersburg: City Hall. NE corner of East Jackson and North Monroe Streets. Built 1887. Designed by Yost. Razed.The Holmes County Farmer 3/31/1887.City Hall included an opera house.
Millersburg: High school, on the left. 430 East Jackson Street. Built 1913/14. Designed by Packard. The old high school on the right (not a Packard design), built in 1866, was later razed.Photo credit: Holmes County District Public Library.
The Holmes County Farmer 9/10/1914.
Today. Connected to a much larger building that sits in front of the Packard design.Based on the picture on the right, perhaps the east side of the building was the main entrance. Photo credit: Holmes County District Public Library.The Packard design is part of this much larger structure today.
Huron County
Norwalk: Norwalk Public Library. 46 West Main Street. Built 1905. Designed by Packard.Still in use as a library today.One of nine Carnegie libraries designed by Packard…and all have survived the wrecking ball. See the blog The Ohio Carnegie Libraries of Architect Frank Packardlinked at the end.
Knox County
Greer (previously Greersville): public school. Built 1896. Designed by Yost & Packard. Razed.
Mt. Vernon Democratic Banner 6/4/1896.
The school was located on the same road as the house at the back of this picture. See the map below, far left.Photo credit: David R. Greer, Knox County Agricultural Museum.Jackson Township School in Noble County. Rt 339 between Crooked Tree and Dungannon. Yost had several early 1880’s designs in Caldwell of Noble County including the public school. Perhaps this is his, too…it resembles the Greer school as compared below. Photo credit: SouthEast Ohio Pictures on Facebook.Martinsburg: public school. Built 1904. Designed by Packard.Hope to find a map to pinpoint the location. Packard was identified as the architect in The American School Board Journal of 1904, volume 29.Razed.Mount Vernon: Fourth Ward School. 401 West Chestnut Street. Built 1892. Designed by Yost & Packard. Razed.Mount Vernon: First Ward School. 714 East Vine Street. Built 1907. Designed by Packard. Still in use with a large addition on one side. Hope to find an early picture of it. Today it is called East Elementary School.Mount Vernon: Knox County Mutual Insurance Company. 108 East High Street. Built between 1892 and 1897 per Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. Designed by Yost & Packard. Razed. On the lookout for a clearer picture. Photo credit above and below: Public Library of Mount Vernon & Knox County.Mount Vernon: Frank Letts and Millicent Greer Beam residence. 121 East High Street. Built 1901. Designed by Packard. Now houses Ariel Foundation. Millicent’s brother, Robert Matthew Greer, was Secretary/Treasurer of the Knox County Mutual Insurance Company shown in the previous set of pictures. It’s likely Millicent and Robert were related to the Greersof Greersville previously pictured.Photo credit above and below: Public Library of Mount Vernon & Knox County.Note the Beam house on the left.Photo credit: Public Library of Mount Vernon & Knox County.
“Mr. Beam began his business career as a clerk in a hardware store in Mount Vernon. In 1880, he engaged in the crockery and wallpaper business here, which he continued until 1901. In 1895, he became interested in the independent telephone business and organized and was involved in many of the early telephone companies of Ohio. He served as president/general manager of several of them. He was one of a group who organized the Mount Vernon Country Club and served as a member of the Board of Directors for many years. He was a former president of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce and always took a great interest in that organization, as well as many other civic affairs. Mr. Beam also served on the Board of Education. (Source: Mound View Cemetery Self-Guided Walking Tour doc.)” Narrative and picture from Find-a-Grave.
Mount Vernon: Ohio State Tuberculosis Sanitorium Administration Building and Dining Hall. 1250 Vernonview Drive. Built 1908/09. Designed by Packard.
The Columbus Dispatch 10/28/1906.
Photo credit above and below: A Century of Service 1909-2009. The Ohio State Sanitorium. Mount Vernon State Hospital. Mount Vernon Institute. Mount Vernon Developmental Center.
The Packard-designed powerhouse and laundry at the sanatorium. Built 1908/09.Today, missing the stack and appears no longer in use.
Per The Columbus Dispatch of September 1910, bids were sought for the construction of “Farm Barns and Stables” at the sanatorium, designed by Packard. Hoping to locate an actual picture.
SPECULATION: Did Packard design the ladies’ cottages for the sanitorium?SPECULATION: Did Packard design the men’s cottage for the sanitorium?Today.Autum view of today from the buildingabove.Mount Vernon: Cleveland, Akron & Columbus depot. 501 South Main Street. Built 1905. Designed by Packard. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Today the former depot houses the Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Mount Vernon: Powerhouse for the Mt. Vernon Railway and Light Company. South Norton Street. The company was acquired by Nils Kachelmacher of Logan (OH) in 1910 when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The powerhouse, designed by Packard, may have been an addition to an existing structure or may have been separate. Whether it was ever built is unknown. The streetcar line folded circa 1915.
Photo credit: Knox County Historical Society.Mt Vernon Democratc Banner 8/9/1910.Nils Kachelmacher died at age 56 from pneumonia post a surgery performed by Dr. Mayo of the famed Mayo Clinic. From his estate, he funded Kachelmacher Park in Logan where the above marker was placed.He also established a trust which funds a medical facility in Logan for the research and treatment of varicose veins from which he long suffered.Mount Vernon: First Presbyterian Church. 106 North Gay Street. Built 1858. Photo credit above and below: Forward in Faithfulness: A History of the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Vernon, Ohio from 1808-2008.Mt. Vernon Democratic Banner 12/17/1912.Redesigned by Packard in 1911. This picture and those below are present day.1911 addition of Sunday school classrooms and social acitivity space designed by Packard.
Richland County
Mansfield: James Purdy Business Block. 22-28 South Main Street. Built 1895. Designed by Yost & Packard. Razed. Photo credit above and below: Mansfield/Richland County Public Library.Reception Room/Ladies ParlorBallroomShelby: First Presbyterian Church. 24 North Gamble Street. Built 1901. Designed by Packard.Today. Packard also designed Presbyterian churches made in Barnesville, Dayton, and Upper Sandusky made of the same pink sandstone (quarried in Mansfield) as Shelby. All still stand and are active Presbyterian congregations except for Dayton which is vacant. A link to these sandstone churches is provided at the end of this blog.Shelby: Methodist Episcopal Church.1 South Gamble Street.The original structure was built in 1883, but Packard designed the addition to the left of the bell tower which was constructed in 1901/02.Today, First United Methodist Church.Shelby: Central High School addition (probably at the rear). East Main Street at High School Avenue. Built 1901. Designed by Packard. Razed.
Wayne County
Dalton: high school. South Church Street. Built 1892. Designed by Yost & Packard. Razed.Orrville: Maple Street School. 215 Maple Street. Built 1913. Designed by Packard. Razed.
Orrville: Millersburg., Wooster & Orrville Telephone Company. Built 1912. Designed by Packard. Unable to find the location. Hoping someone in Orrville will know plus have a picture.
The Columbus Dispatch 9/19/1910.
Note the name Frank Beam whose Mount Vernon house Packard designed that is shown earlier in this blog. Perhaps he influenced the hire of Packard as architect of the Orrville telephone building. The Courier-Crescent (Orrville) 5/17/1921.
Saw this on Ebay.The company changed its name to The Central Ohio Telephone Corporation in 1928. The Courier-Crescent 8/1/1932.Wooster: City Hall (and opera house). 236 East Liberty Street. Built 1887. Designed by Yost. Razed.The Holmes County Farmer 3/31/1887.The Holmes County Farmer 12/8/1887.Wooster: addition of laboratories at each end of “Old Main” at the College of Wooster. Addition in 1892. Designed by Yost. Destroyed by fire in 1901. Photo credit:College of Wooster Special Collections.
Below are links to the other pink sandstone Presbyterian churches and Carnegie libraries designed by Frank Packard.
Histories and Mysteries 