By 1812Blockhouse

Over the last four years, 1812Blockhouse shared over 50 posts in our Landmarks of Mansfield and Landmarks of Richland County series. We have enjoyed focusing on pieces of local history which continue to provide context, a sense of place, and useful space in the early 21st century.

Of course, many pieces of history which could have been preserved have been lost.

One true survivor is a former residence which represents one of the oldest buildings in downtown Mansfield. It sits proudly but somewhat forlornly on the south side of West Fourth Street west of Mulberry Street. When it was built, it would have been one of the largest buildings in town. Today, it presents a remarkable opportunity to preserve a bit of pre-Civil War Mansfield.

We are continuing to doresearch so that we can present a more thorough Landmark of Mansfield post in the future about the house at 103 West Fourth Street.

Here’s what we know.

The house was one of those considered for removal at the time of the proposed construction of a civic/events arena off of West Fourth Street and to the rear of the Renaissance Theatre. At that time, in the very early 2000s, 103 West Fourth Street was one of few properties singled out for survival when the City’s Preservation Commission recognized its significance.

The building is a rare surviving example of Greek Revival architecture in central Mansfield, and possibly the largest such structure built here. It bears the classic temple facade typical of that style, as well as the characteristic plain, heavy stone lintels. There is a full entablature at the roofline with what is often referred to as “faux returns” on the facade instead of a full pediment.

A 2007 SquareLog blog post put the date of construction about 1850, with the first owner being hardware merchant Adam J. Endly.

Endly was born in 1815 in Connersville, Pennsylvania. He came to Mansfield in 1844 and operated his hardware store downtown through the 1860.s In 1874, Adam Endly was elected as justice of the peace.” In the years before his death in 1895, he was commonly referred to as “Squire Endly.”

The Square Log also pointed out that a new roof was added to the Endly House about 2007.

If you know details about this building and its history, please share it with us and we will update this post. Thanks!

Photo:1812Blockhouse

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