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Top Attractions in Lima

Allen County Museum

The Allen County Museum is located in the city of Lima, the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. Occupying a half city block, the museum campus includes the main museum building, a log house, the MacDonell House, a Shay Locomotive display, Military/Transportation building, the Childrens Museum, and the Childrens Garden. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. According to recent reports of the American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Department, less than 800 museums, out of more than 11,000 in the United States, are accredited. Standards for accreditation apply across the board to both small and large institutions. The Allen County Museum is operated by the Allen County Historical Society which was formed in 1908. Originally located in Limas Memorial Hall, the Historical Society outgrew the available space by 1935, and began privately raising funds to build a museum. Spearheaded by Elizabeth M. MacDonell, and supported by the notable John Wesley Van Dyke, Chairman of the Atlantic Refining Company, the organization successfully raised the needed funds to build a separate facility. World War II interrupted construction plans, but by 1954 the cornerstone was laid—a stone from the original White House, Washington, D.C. Since that time, the Historical Society has amassed a large collection of items—both local and international. Archival and documentary railroad collections include builders prints and diagrams from the Lima Locomotive Works, which was the third largest steam locomotive builder in the United States. Central to the production of the Lima Locomotive Works was the Shay engine, invented by Ephraim Shay.

Lima Memorial Hall

The Lima Memorial Hall is a historic performing arts center and city hall on the edge of downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Designed by the architectural company of Dawson & McLaughlin and named for local military veterans, the Beaux-Arts building was built in 1908. A dominating aspect of its architecture is the massive marble staircase that rises from the foyer to a second-floor open balcony. As a performing arts center, Memorial Hall has hosted concerts by John Philip Sousa's band, Victor Borge, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and singers from the Boston and Chicago opera companies. It no longer serves as the city hall; the municipal offices are now located on Public Square at the center of the city. In 1979, Memorial Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both its architecture and its contribution to local history were significant enough to qualify it for listing by themselves.

Ohio Theatre (Lima, Ohio)

The Ohio Theatre is a historic movie theater in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built in 1927, the theater is a brick and concrete structure featuring multiple architectural styles. Outside, large amounts of terracotta details produce a Churrigueresque appearance, while Corinthian columns, marble and mosaic floors, and a massive chandelier produce an Italianate interior. A movie palace constructed for the Schine Corporation, the theater was built at a time when improvements in transportation increased Limas significance in the lives of those living in surrounding communities. As cars became more widely available and various means of public transportation became more viable, Lima became a center of daily life for many residents of rural northwestern Ohio, and many theaters such as the Ohio were built to serve them. In addition to its original purpose, the Ohio Theatre has served to host stage performances by a wide range of entertainers. Individuals as well known as Bob Hope have graced the theaters ornate interior. In 1982, the Ohio Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of a collection of buildings designated the "Lima Multiple Resource Area." Designated as historic sites because of their architecture, these buildings were deemed worthy of historic preservation primarily because of the citys architectural history: although Lima had once been home to a large number of architecturally valuable buildings, an unusually large percentage of them had been destroyed or abandoned to ruin.

Klaus Block

The Klaus Block is a historic building in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built along Main Street in 1870, it is a rectangular three-story structure built in a Victorian variant of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The exterior features a simple rectangular shape of three bays on each side, topped with a hip roof of asphalt. Decorations such as brick corbelling and stone trim highlight the interior. Many types of businesses have occupied space in the Klaus Block through its history. In its earliest years, the block's builder operated a butcher shop in the building, and a speakeasy operated in a ballroom on the topmost floor during Prohibition. A pharmacy has always been run in its southeastern corner. During the 1870s, the increasing importance of the railroad industry to Lima's northern side resulted in the northward expansion of the city's downtown. The Klaus Block was one of several large buildings erected in the city at this time; among these structures was the Allen County Courthouse, which is also located to the north of the original downtown. In 1982, the Klaus Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its architectural significance. It was one of seventeen Lima buildings that were listed on the National Register together as part of the Lima Multiple Resource Area.

Martin and Kibby Blocks

The Martin and Kibby Blocks are a pair of historic buildings in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Erected in 1884, they are brick structures built in the Victorian Gothic style of architecture. Both buildings are rectangular structures, three-stories tall, and topped with sloped roofs of asphalt. Among the decorative elements present on these buildings are brick pilasters next to the main entrances, stone lintels around the windows, and decorative corbelling between the structural brackets. Contemporary to the construction of the two blocks was the discovery of petroleum in the vicinity of Lima and the consequent rapid growth of the city. A large number of significant commercial buildings were erected in the city at this time, including the Martin and Kibby Blocks and several other major commercial buildings along South Main Street near the city's central square. In 1982, the Martin and Kibby Blocks were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of their historically significant architecture. Many other Lima buildings, including six others on South Main, were added to the Register at the same time as part of the "Lima Multiple Resource Area," a collection of downtown buildings important because of their architecture.

Union Block

The Union Block is a historic business building on Public Square in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built in 1878, it is a three-story brick building with a modified rectangular floor plan and a sloping roofline. From Lima's earliest years, the Union Block's site on the southeastern corner of today's Public Square was a leading commercial site. Preceding it was Lima's first hotel, built by the second white man to settle in Lima. The Union Block was constructed during a booming period in Lima's history. As the influence of railroading in Lima expanded during the 1870s, the city itself grew significantly; the Union Block was one of several major commercial buildings erected on Public Square during this period. The block's architecture is an example of a commercial variant of the Victorian style. Among its most prominent exterior details are ornate lintels and stone trim, while the interior features iron posts on the first floor and a staircase of cast iron. Each bay features a cluster of windows, most of which are composed of two or three windows. In 1982, the Union Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its well-preserved architecture. Sixteen other Lima buildings were listed on the National Register at the same time; all were part of the Lima Multiple Resource Area, a collection of architecturally-significant buildings in and around the city's downtown. Two other buildings on Public Square were included in this collection: the Neal Clothing Building, completed before the Civil War, and the early 20th-century First National Bank and Trust Building.

Hotel Argonne

The Hotel Argonne is a historic hotel in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. Built in 1919, the hotel was dedicated to veterans of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during the recently concluded World War. Designed by Andrew DeCurtins, the heavily ornamented ten-story hotel is built of limestone and brick. Among the exterior features are spandrels and pilasters with triple entablatures on the lowest two floors, plus a cornice with plentiful dentils and parapets. Inside, the lobby includes marble, various types of wood, and large amounts of decorative molding. In 1982, the Hotel Argonne was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture. It was part of the "Lima Multiple Resource Area," a group of seventeen architecturally significant Lima buildings that were added to the Register together. Like several other buildings in this collection, the hotel was among the last major structures erected in Lima's most prosperous years, during which oil wealth and the success of the Lima Locomotive Works were the most important parts of a thriving economy.

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, Lima, also referred to as Ohio State Lima is a regional campus of Ohio State University located in Lima, Ohio. Its 565-acre campus is located in Lima, 80 miles south of Toledo, Ohio. It offers over 140 courses and 9 bachelor degree programs in science and liberal Arts. Nine of eleven programs are four-year programs at Lima. Two of them are baccalaureate completion programs. In addition to regional accreditation, Ohio State Lima has baccalaureate program accreditation with NCATE. Students can start at Lima and finish their degrees at The Ohio State University, Columbus with one of Ohio State’s 170+ majors. The Ohio State University at Lima offers over 20 student clubs and organizations. There are also 12 intramural and club athletic teams. The Lima Campus Library has 76,000 volumes and 200+ journal subscriptions. Library databases also provide access to thousands of online journals. The University shares the campus with James A. Rhodes State College.

First National Bank and Trust Building

The First National Bank and Trust Building is a historic building on Public Square in downtown Lima, Ohio, United States. This rectangular building, completed in 1926, was designed by Weary and Alford, an architectural firm from Chicago. It was the location of the offices of the First National Bank and Trust Company from 1926 until 1974, when the company became a part of Huntington Bank. The structure's twelve stories are faced with Indiana Limestone. Each column of windows is topped with an arch window on the highest floor, and the spandrels between the arch windows are connected to each other. Founded as the "Lima Trust Company" in 1903, the First National Bank and Trust used a Masonic building in its earliest years. Starting in 1906, it operated in a smaller building , which served as its offices until it moved into its newly erected structure in 1926. During the early twentieth century, the influence of railroads and the oil industry caused Lima to be a very prosperous city. Many large buildings, including two skyscrapers, were built in the city's downtown; the majority of these new structures employed the Chicago Style of architecture. With the decline of the city's economy later in the century, the construction of large buildings in central Lima ceased — virtually all new construction took place in the city's outskirts or suburbs — thus making the First National Bank and Trust one of the newest major buildings in downtown Lima. In recognition of its historic significance, the First National Bank and Trust was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was one of seventeen Lima buildings that was added to the National Register as part of the "Lima Multiple Resource Area," a Multiple Property Submission that concentrated on architecturally significant buildings in or near downtown Lima. Aside from its importance as a historic site, the First National Bank and Trust Building plays a leading part in local ornithology: the building is a nesting site for peregrine falcons and is part of the Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project.

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