National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for the Worthington Historic District

In 2008, the Worthington Historic District Committee submitted this application to the National Register of Historic Places to have Old Worthington recognized as a historic district. The application was the result of years of efforts by committee members, and was successful in securing Old Worthington’s place on the register.

The area recognized by the designation is bounded by North, South, Evening and Morning streets and encompasses the original Village of Worthington that was planned by the settlers of Worthington 1802 before they left for Ohio from New England. The district includes more than 450 properties.

The application includes extensive documentation of the area recognized, including a narrative description of properties; a list of contributing properties along with age and architectural style; a statement of significance and history of the area, including maps and photos; a bibliography; and detailed maps of the areas included.

The National Park Service administers the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the official Federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. National Register properties have significance to the history of their community, state, or the nation.

The Worthington Historic District Committee was formed in 1999 to work towards the effort of nominating the area to the National Register. A joint effort between the Old Worthington Association and the Worthington Historical Society, the group was comprised of Susan Allen, Karen Alsnauer, Emily Baker, Jeff Bergen, Jill Cohen, Mikel Coulter, Maggie Huff, Phil Lampe, Jennifer Maier, Jennie McCormick, Margaret Real, Jane Trucksis, Jim Ventresca and Paul Wherry. Historic preservation consultants Jeffrey Darbee and Nancy Recchie assisted with revising the initial application. Mikel Coulter prepared all of the maps and property lists.

The group submitted an initial application in May 2008. The application was evaluated first by the Ohio Preservation Office, which makes recommendations to the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board. Successful applications are then passed on to the National Park Service and Department of the Interior.

Among the factors considered during evaluation are architecture and age. More than 85 percent of the properties considered met the architecture standards, and all buildings in Old Worthington were at least 50 years old at the time.

The initial application was extensively revised following a public meeting, and went on to be accepted by the National Park Service.

The official announcement of Old Worthington’s entry into the National Register was made at the Old Worthington Association’s annual meeting on April 29, 2010.