The Limbach Block Buildings
The Limbach Buildings
The Limbach Buildings are located the heart of the commercial center for the Village of Clinton. They were built in 1878 during the “Railroad Era”. The buildings are an example of Italianate and Queen Anne architecture and were the first brick buildings in the village. A fire in 1909 destroyed most of the commercial buildings along Water Street, leaving the Limbach Block as the commercial center of the Village. Within all of Summit County, Clinton’s Limbach Block is one of the most intact late nineteen century commercial nodes of any canal village. The Limbach Brothers were local shoemakers and sewing machine sale men. They constructed a block building at this site and maintained a local shoe factory and shoe store. In 1903 Martin Limbach incorporated the Clinton Savings Bank which was housed at this site until 1963. In 1963 John Kunkle expanded his hardware store at this site which remained active until 1980. The buildings also housed a doctor’s office, a confectionary, a grocery store, a meat market and a barber shop.
The buildings are currently owned by the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition (OECC), who is working to preserve them as historically significant buildings and redevelop them as a commercial center for the Village of Clinton. Working in partnership with Summit County, OECC worked to secure and protect the buildings with a “Village of Clinton Downtown Improvement Project” CDGB grant in 2006. In 2006 Dominion employees chose downtown Clinton for an “environmental” project. They worked to grade the grounds and to plant flowers, trees and grasses to improve the property, creating a park-like setting. This helped to enhance the look of downtown Clinton. Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition is again working with Summit County and the CDGB grant program to replace the waste water treatment plant so that the buildings can be occupied. In addition OECC has received a Save America’s Treasurers grant from the Department of the Interiors and is working to restore the front of the buildings.
If you are interested in learning more about the buildings please call Sue Reid, Director of Projects, at the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, 330-374-5657 or send an e-mail to sreid@ohioeriecanal.org.
