What to See in Lima - Top Sights and Attractions

Theater in 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 Lima's 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 theater's 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 city's 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.^[3]

University in Lima, Ohio. The Ohio State University at Lima is a regional campus of Ohio State University in Lima, 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. The campus practices open admissions. 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. 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 Rhodes State College.^[4]

Locomotive. Nickel Plate Road 779 is a 2-8-4 or "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, completed on May 13th 1949, for use on fast freight trains. It was the last new steam locomotive to be delivered to the Nickel Plate Road, and alongside L&N 1991, another 2-8-4 for the Louisville and Nashville, is the last of 131 steam engines completed by Lima-Hamilton from 1947-1949, and the final 2-8-4 locomotive on standard gauge completed in the world. Interestingly, L-H's first diesel, A-3080 demonstrator #1000 was completed the same day as #779. NKP also received the first production A-3080, NKP #305, one of 4 delivered by Lima-Hamilton in 1949.

Upon her retirement in early 1958, the locomotive had logged 677,095 miles.

In 1966, she was donated to the City of Lima, Ohio and placed on display in Lincoln Park, where she remains to date.^[5]

Building. The former Elks Lodge is a historic building in Lima, Ohio, United States. The lodge was the fifty-fourth of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks to be chartered; it is the largest lodge in Ohio. It is located within the Ohio West Central District No. 7120. The original lodge building, built in 1909, has been sold and is, as of 2019, used by Tabernacle Baptist Church.

The lodge building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 1982. It was one of seventeen Lima buildings listed on the Register as a group, the "Lima Multiple Resource Area." Of these buildings, it was one of the newest. Around the time of its construction in the early twentieth century, oil and railroading had taken Lima's economy to an extremely prosperous point.^[6]

Historical place in Lima, Ohio. 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.^[7]

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 (frontmost) 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.^[9]