Historic District

Overview

Our community’s history is one of the core elements that defines Tipp City and nowhere is that history more prevalent than in the city’s downtown and oldest neighborhoods along Main Street, also known as the Old Tippecanoe City Restoration and Architectural District. This area contributes so much to Tipp City’s sense of place that the community has come together over history to establish special programs designed to protect and enhance the area with a variety of tools including designation of the area as a historic area on the National Register of Historic Places, applying to be a Certified Local Government (CLG) with the State of Ohio, and establishing these local guidelines and standards for renovation, rehabilitation, demolition, etc.

View the Historic Design Manual (PDF).

Certificate of Appropriateness

Property owners, residents, and tenants are required to apply for and obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from the Restoration Board or city staff before beginning any work described in the Design Manual or the Tipp City Zoning Code if the subject property is within the Restoration District. As the certificate’s name suggests, the goal of the review is to ensure that changes made in the Restoration District are appropriate for the style or design of the existing building and harmonious with its neighboring structures. By protecting the historic character of each building, the city, owners, and tenants are protecting the history of the district and, more importantly, the value of this resource. 

The requirement for a COA primarily applies to the exterior of structures and typically only to changes that will result in significant changes (e.g., materials, colors, bulk, massing, character, style, etc.); it does not apply to the interior of any home or business. There is no fee for applying, and application forms (PDF) are available online or upon request at the Tipp City Community and Economic Development Department.

Historic Inventory

In 1983, the Old Tippecanoe Main Street Historic District was entered in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Parks Service, United States Department of the Interior. The nomination was made in connection with a state plan to identify and document prehistoric and historic places in Ohio which qualify for National Register status under provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. All nominations are approved by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board. The inventory (noted in five (5) parts below) was completed in 1983.