Historic District Building Guidelines

In October 1985, the Upper Arlington Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior, giving that unique area of the city both local and national recognition.

Each and every building, and its placement in the district, contributes to the unique character of the District. If the environment is significantly altered, the district will lose an irreplaceable asset - its visible historic identity. As part of the effort to avoid such a loss, the Upper Arlington Historical Society has created this booklet containing recommendations and suggestions organized in conformity with the 10 basic principles for sensitive rehabilitation as put forth by the Secretary of the Interior. (see page vi for list)

The purpose of the Guidelines is to acquaint residents of the Upper Arlington Historic District with the heritage and responsibility that accompanies the privilege of living in an historic district. This information helps residents restore or preserve their homes to the original architecture or to renovate them sensitively. UA Historic District and Building Guidelines can be found in the City's Unified Development Code, Section 7.18. 

Architectural Styles Found in Upper Arlington Homes 

Our Historic District designation was driven by "Old Arlington's" bountiful variety of quality Twentieth Century Revival style architecture. These are the major architectural styles that can still be seen today:

Arts and Crafts

The style was developed during the early 20th century as part of a renewed interest in artistry and craftsmanship in building design. The designs often featured overhanging, gabled rooflines, sometime with simple brackets; materials with different textures, including brick, stone, stucco or clapboards (sometimes used together); combinations of window groupings; and an altogether rustic, informal appearance. 

Georgian Revival

The original Georgian style was fashioned after those developed in England during the reigns of all four King Georges and built along the American East Coast in the early 1700s. These gracious homes are known for their simple exterior lines and few decorative devices. The two or three story, usually brick home is rectangular with a chimney at each end. This home was designed by Marriott, Allen and Hall in 1915 for Upper Arlington cofounder Ben Thompson. The third floor has a ballroom where Thompson's wife hosted community women who sewed bandages for the Red Cross during World War I. 

English Tudor Revival

This style was names after the House of Tudor in England where the original exposed wooden beams were used to hold up the structure. The half-timbering in Tudor Revival homes is decorative and filled with plaster and stucco, brick or stone. They are usually two or tow-and-a-half stories, often with diamond shaped, leaded glass-paned windows. The massive decorative brick chimneys, often on the façade, are sometimes topped with terra-cotta chimney pots.

Federal Revival

Encompassing classical Greek and Roman elements, Federal Revival structures were influenced by the simple lines reflected in homes designed by architects such as Thomas Jefferson. There is usually a flat façade and ornamentation that encompasses classical Greek and Roman features. 

Dutch Colonial Revival

Contrary to its name, this style did not originate in the Netherlands but in the United States with early German settlers in Pennsylvania in the 1600s. These houses are moderate size and two or two-and-a-half stories, with a gambrel roof and flaring eaves that extend over the porches, creating a barn-like impression. There is usually a central entrance and one long dormer with several windows through the roof. 

New England Colonial Revival 

Fashioned after early houses in New England, these homes are two-and-a-half stories with a central hallway. These houses have symmetrical facades, few projections, and often include elaborate cornices. Exteriors are faced with narrow or wide clapboard siding but can be sided with brick and stone. 

English Country Revival

These imposing-looking stone houses, sometimes referred to as "Cottswald" style, are usually two or two-and-a-half stories with steeply-pitched gable roofs. It is not uncommon to find on these types of revival houses that the slates for the roofs are placed with greater surface exposure low on the roof area, and grows narrower as the tows of slates reach up towards the ridgeline of the roof. In doing so the slates help to add an optical illusion that the roof area is larger and steeper than it is. The multiple windows are often leaded glass and the multiple chimneys are often topped with terra cotta chimney pots. The example at 2427 Tremont Road was built by George and May Chennell between 1931 and 1933. George had the house designed in a style that reminded him of his native village in England. The couple moved into their home in the late summer of 1933, but their tenure was short lived. George died of natural causes a little over three month after occupying the house. Mary Chennell never fully recovered from the shock of her husband's death and died at the house in the spring of 1934. 

French Normandy Revival

These houses were fashioned after homes in the Normandy province of France where the house and barn were combined into one building. The front turret resembled a silo where grain was stored and in the revival style it serves as the entrance. An example of this style is at 2176 North Parkway and was designed by Robert R. Royce and built in 1932. 

French Provincial Revival

This formal chateau-style home is known for its steep, high, hip roof and protruding French window. It is one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half stories, and often the second story windows have a curved head that breaks through the cornice. Siding is often a combination of stucco with brick or stone. The example at 2237 Cambridge Blvd. was designed by Robert R. Royce. 

Spanish Colonial or Mediterranean Revival

Stucco walls and low-pitched clay tile roofs are hallmarks of the Spanish Colonial Revival or Mediterranean Revival styles. Popularized in California during the early 1900, the style also made use of arched opening, ceramic tile detail and iron-fronted balconies. Before it was demolished in 2001, the house at 2459 Tremont Road had three fountains and hand-painted tiles purchases by the owner in Italy. Most of the wall of the living room was a floor-to-ceiling, clear, stained-glass window of a ship. This home was designed by Charles Inscho in 1937. 

Cape Cod Revival

The Cape Cop Revival-style home was an extremely popular and affordable home in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. Based upon the saltbox-type house of the early colonists in New England, the original versions had low central chimneys, but many revival-style designed have end chimneys. There is usually a central entrance and the steeply pitched, gabled roof is shingled. The windows are usually framed by shutters.