Volunteers known as ‘PARTP’ (Partnership for Aurora & Richland Township) recently announced success from a two-decade quest to have the downtown of Aurora designated as an official Historic District. The effort was revived and energized in April of 2024 as a key task in the town’s ambitious Strategic Plan. State officials received a 56-page study replete with photos, historic details, and significant happenings from the late 1800s thru the mid-1990s. Email Kurt Ryan ryankj88@gmail.com.
229 Main Street – Henry and Susan Sugg Harding House – Circa 1850
Built in the mid-nineteenth century, this two-story, double-pile I-house with Greek Revival proportions is believed to have been built for Henry and Susan Sugg Harding, and is purported to be the oldest home in Aurora. Based on available deed records and other historical documents, it could not be determined for certain if Henry and Susan Sugg Harding were the first occupants of the house. The house is comprised of a two-story, side-gabled main block with a rear ell. A hipped-roof porch spans three bays of the primary (north) elevation. The original plain weatherboards clad the exterior, and tin panels cover the roof. The house features boxed eaves and corner boards, indicative of its mid-nineteenth-century construction. A centered, exterior, stuccoed chimney rises along the east elevation. Between 2009 and 2024, the chimney on the west elevation failed and was removed.
The primary elevation measures three bays wide. Square posts support the porch. The front door occupies the center bay, though the vinyl storm door is the only visible door. Four-light sidelights flank the door. One-over-one, vinyl replacement windows with fixed, vinyl shutters pierce the flanking bays. These replacement windows are found throughout the house.
An additional, recessed entry door occupies the east elevation of the rear ell. Plywood covers another section, and the windows are vinyl replacements.
327 Main Street – Aurora Methodist Church – Circa 1949
The congregation erected the Romanesque Aurora Methodist Church in 1949, which replaced a nineteenth-century frame sanctuary. The church is composed of a gable front main block with an impressive protecting central belltower off the primary (north) elevation and hipped-roof additions off the rear portion of the east and west side elevations, which are connected by a shed roof section. The prominent belltower has a pyramidal roof, concrete-capped stone buttresses, and a recessed, arched entry. The batten, double-leaf door features strap hinges. Narrow arched windows pierce the entry bay, with wider arched windows lighting the chapel. Throughout the building the window openings have concrete sills and stone jack arches. Stained glass fills the window openings. The wings have metal casement windows, bracketed entry pents, and half-round ventilation dormers.
Cemetery – Circa 1870
A small cemetery containing roughly a dozen marked graves lies southwest of Aurora Methodist Church. Gravemarkers date from the 1870s through the 1970s and are inscribed with the names of prominent families in Aurora’s history such as Swindell, Bonner, Hollowell, and Hooker.
389 Main Street – Commercial Building – 1939
395 Main Street – Service Station – Circa 1935
Originally built as part of a car dealership, 389 Main Street is a one-story commercial building constructed of concrete block. The commercial building has a flat roof with a stepped parapet along the east and west side elevations. Concrete block piers anchor the primary (north) elevation, and a cornice runs along the windows and entry. The glass storefront has metal-frame windows, and the recessed, modern metal commercial door occupies the center bay. The transom above the door has been covered. A circa-2010 addition on the west elevation connects the subject building to the former service station at 395 Main Street. Both the subject building and the former service station at 395 Main Street are part of the Aurora Fossil Museum.
The building at 395 Main Street is a circa-1935 service station that has been significantly altered and adaptively reused as the Aurora Fossil Museum Learning Center. The building has a gable-and-wing-form with a hipped-roof addition off the west elevation and an open shed-roof on the rear (south) elevation. Brick laid in a running bond clads the exterior and vertical wood siding sheathes the gables. Composite shingles cover the roof.
The primary (north) elevation measures five bays side. Three bays pierce the gable-front with a metal door in the center flanked by plate glass windows. The east wing portion of the façade was originally two garage bays, which are enclosed with vertical wood siding and are painted. A circa-2010 addition on the east elevation connects the service station to the commercial building at 389 Main Street. Both the former service station and the commercial building at 389 Main Street are part of the Aurora Fossil Museum and serve as the Learning Center.
456 Main Street – Warren’s Barber Shop – Circa 1945
462 Main Street – Thompson’s Feed Store – Circa 1940
468 Main Street – Commercial Building – 1932
This circa-1945 one-story commercial building is the easternmost section in a commercial block of three buildings including 462 and 468 Main Street. The concrete block building has a rectangular form with a wing on the east elevation. A flat roof with a stepped parapet wall with terra cotta coping along the east side elevation caps the building. Brick laid in a running
the two-bay storefront on the primary (south) elevation. Plywood covers both the window and door, which are further protected by a metal awning. A sign panel above the storefront features a “W” formed of brick stretchers and outlined by a border of brick headers with stone squares at the corners. Two modern paneled doors occupy the east elevation of the building and are demarcated by gabled entry stoops supported by plain square posts. Another door pierces the south elevation of the east wing.
The “W” in the sign panel refers to Warren’s Barber Shop, the original occupant of the building. The building later housed a soda shop.
Originally used by Thompson’s Feed Store, the commercial building at 462 Main Street was built around 1940. This one-story building is the center section in a commercial block of three buildings that include 456 and 468 Main Street and stands slightly taller than the flanking buildings. The building has a flat roof and brick laid in a running bond clads the primary (south) elevation. Brick pilasters anchor the corners of the façade. A brick cornice accents the crown of the building and below the recessed sign panel. The three-bay storefront was altered through installing two metal-frame windows separated by a modern, double-leaf commercial door.
The commercial building at 468 Main Street is the westernmost section in a commercial block of three buildings that include 456 and 462 Main Street. The building is capped by a flat roof with a stepped parapet along the west elevation. Brick laid in a running bond clads the primary (south) elevation, while the west elevation is parged over. There is a corbelled brick cornice and open ventilators arranged in two diamonds in the divided sign panels. A brick pilaster divides the façade into two bays. A window pierces the east bay, and a modern metal commercial door and window perforate the west bay.
A pool hall was an early tenant of the building, and it now houses the Aurora/Richland Township Chamber of Commerce.
491, 495 Main Street – Commercial Building – Circa 1900
499 Main Street – Cherry Hotel – 1914
The circa-1900 building at 491 Main Street is the easternmost section of a two-story commercial block that includes 495 and 499 Main Street. Between 2020 and 2024, a one-story, brick commercial building along the east side of the subject building was demolished (487 Main Street). The subject building has a flat roof with a stepped parapet on the east side elevation. Brick laid in a common bond clads the exterior. Brick pilasters divide the buildings and the two storefronts. A brick corbelled cornice runs the span of all three buildings in the block and underneath lies a brick soldier course. Clinker bricks laid at a 45-degree angle accent the cornice. The two storefronts, which are covered with plywood, were remodeled in the 1960s with new metal and glass storefronts when Heilig-Meyers Furniture store occupied all three buildings in the block. Plywood also covers three windows in the second story, which feature brick jack arches and cast stone sills. The windows and doors on the east and rear (south) elevations have been either boarded up or the glass broken in the original, one-over-one wood-sash windows.
The circa-1900 building at 495 Main Street is the center section of a two-story commercial block that includes 491 and 499 Main Street. The building has a flat roof with a stepped parapet, and brick laid in a common bond clads the exterior. Brick pilasters divide the façade into bays. A brick corbelled cornice runs the span of all three buildings in the block and underneath lies a brick soldier course. Clinker bricks laid at a 45-degree angle accent the cornice. The storefront was remodeled in the 1960s with new metal and glass storefronts when Heilig-Meyers Furniture store occupied all three buildings in the block. Plywood covers the storefront and the second story windows, which feature brick jack arches and cast stone sills.
Originally built to house the Cherry Hotel, the 1914 building at 499 Main Street is the westernmost section of a two-story commercial block that includes 491 and 495 Main Street. Ira C. Congleton served as both the architect and builder of the Cherry Hotel. The building has a flat roof with a stepped parapet on the west side elevation. Brick laid in a common bond clads the exterior, and brick pilasters divide the buildings and the two storefronts. A brick corbelled cornice runs the span of all three buildings in the block. The storefront was remodeled in the 1960s with new metal and glass storefronts when Heilig-Meyers Furniture store occupied all three buildings in the block. All sections of the storefront are covered with plywood, as are the four windows in the second story that feature brick jack arches and cast stone sills. The windows and doors on the east and rear (south) elevations have been either boarded up or the glass broken in the original, one-over-one wood-sash windows.
577 Main Street – Alex and Lona Hudnell House – 1887
The house at 577 Main Street is a frame, two-story I-house built in 1887 for Alex and Lona Hudnell. A rectangular side-gabled main block anchors the house, with a later Mount Vernon porch on the primary (north) elevation and a shed-roof porch off the east elevation. The rear (south) elevation has a two-story rear ell at the west side and a one-story ell at the east side. The house rests on a brick pier foundation infilled by lattice brickwork. Asbestos shingles cover the exterior, and metal covers the roof. Two interior brick chimneys project from the apex of the roof near the gable ends. Cornice returns accent the house throughout.
The Mount Vernon porch, supported by tapered square posts spanned by a square balustrade, dominates the primary elevation. A flight of concrete steps with stepped brick wing walls enables porch access. The original front door, composed of two arched lights above panels, occupies the center bay of the three-bay primary elevation. A storm door partially obscures the original front door. Four-over-one, wood-sash windows accented by fixed, louvered shutters pierce the flanking bays. The windows throughout the house follow this sash pattern and material.
640 Main Street – Church of the Holy Cross – 1917
Originally constructed in 1917, the Church of the Holy Cross has three distinct sections: the original gable-front church with a central belltower at the east end, a front-gabled west wing, and a flat-roofed education wing (or hypen) connecting the two. The building incorporates both Gothic and Craftsman design elements. Brick laid in a common bond clads the exterior of the original church, and gabled parapets adorn the roof. Exposed rafter tails line the eaves. A water table, lined with concrete, continues from the façade onto the tower. A recessed, pointed-arch entry opening pierces the belltower’s primary (south) elevation. The batten, double-leaf entry door with narrow boards features Christian cross battens, and another cross surmounts the door in the transom. Buttresses divide the five bays of the east and west side elevations. Within the fourth bay parapet wall that projects slightly from the wall plane. Window openings have flat and rounded arches and header course sills. The windows throughout the original church are stained glass.
The front-gabled west wing is also clad in common bond brick. Decorative knee braces adorn the eaves of the front gable, and exposed rafter tails line the eaves. The primary elevation of the west wing features paneled, double-leaf doors flanked by nine-over-nine wood sashes, each composed of small panes surrounding a larger central pane. The flat-roofed education wing, which acts as a hyphen between the original church with the west wing, follows the same brick bond pattern and window sash pattern as the west wing. A wood-frame belltower marks the centered entry into this connecting section.
436 Fourth Street – Former Aurora Town Hall and Police Station – 1948
458–460 Fourth Street – Aurora Municipal Complex – 1948
The former Aurora Town Hall and Police Station at 436 Fourth Street was constructed in 1948. The one-story, flat-roofed masonry building has a rectangular form and shares its southern wall with the commercial building at 458–460 Fourth Street, the former Fire Station. Brick laid in a running bond clads the exterior and metal covers the flat roof.
Oriented with its primary elevation facing west, the building has a symmetrical façade with two original doors composed of six divided lights above three panels that are separated by two original, two-over-two, horizontal, wood-sash windows in the center bays. The windows throughout the building follow this sash pattern and material. Each window is also accented by a concrete sill.
The Aurora Municipal Complex is composed of three structures dating from 1948 to 1964. The oldest building, the former Fire Station, was constructed in 1948, and shares its north wall with the former Town Hall and Police Station at 436 Fourth Street. The subject building is constructed of concrete block, and brick laid in a running bond faces the primary (west) elevation. The primary elevation measures four bays wide. Two single-leaf, metal frame doors occupy the center bays. A fixed, metal-sash, plate glass window pierces the north bay, and a divided, metal-sash window perforates the south bay. Windows on the south elevation are the original, two-over-two, horizontal, wood-sash windows, which are also on the adjacent building at 436 Fourth Street.
A six-bay, concrete block garage, built in 1958, is connected to the former Fire Station by a flat covered roof. Oriented with its primary elevation facing south towards Pearl Street, a metal-sloped roof caps the building, and the walls are exposed concrete block. The westernmost bay is enclosed with T-111 siding. The bay consists of a modern paneled door flanked by six-over-six vinyl windows. The remaining five bays have metal roll-up garage doors with three lights across the center of the door.
Two prefabricated sheds lie east of the former Fire Station and are not counted in the Section 5 resource count.
207 North Fifth Street – Bonner-Cherry House – Circa 1870
This two-and-one-half-story house was built around 1870 as an Italianate-style dwelling by John B. Bonner. At an unknown date, the house was updated to reflect the changing tastes to the Victorian style, though many of these architectural details have now been removed. The house may have been enlarged and subsequently used as a hotel by the Cherry family after they took possession of the property in 1901 and before they built the Cherry Hotel on Main Street, though this could not be confirmed based on available records.5
The frame dwelling has a rectangular footprint with a shed roof porch that spans the primary (east) elevation and a one-story, hipped-roof addition off the rear (west) elevation. The house rests on a brick pier foundation that has been infilled with brick. Aluminum siding clads the exterior and the original, plain weatherboards are exposed where the aluminum siding has been removed. Composite shingles clad the jerkinhead roof. Three dormers with gable returns perforate the primary roof slope. Two exterior brick chimneys rise along the south side elevation.
The front porch, supported by plain square posts, features a central gable with decorative knee braces. The porch has lost its brackets and frieze. The primary elevation measures three bays wide. The original, double-leaf front door occupies the center bay, and features arched panels above square panels. An aluminum storm door protects the original door. The door surround features a divided light transom and divided light sidelights. The south bay extends out to the east, while the center and north bays are flush. Paired, two-over-two, wood-sash windows pierce the north and south bays. This fenestration pattern and materials are found throughout the house. All window and door openings feature prominent lintels.
A bay window with five faces occupies the east bay of the north side elevation. Narrow, one-over-one windows protected by metal storm windows pierce the bay window, and metal board-and-batten siding clads the exterior.
The rear (west) elevation is comprised of a one-story, hipped-roof addition that spans the length of the main block and extends out to the north and a gabled-roof section that lies perpendicular to the house on the north bay of the west elevation. The windows throughout echo the two-over-two, wood-sash pattern found on the main block.
590 North Fifth Street – Aurora Jail – 1939
The square, hipped-roof Aurora Jail was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. Constructed of brick laid in a common bond, the building features decorative brickwork in the form of a water table, arch surround for the front door, and denticulated cornice. Metal covers the roof. The primary (west) elevation measures three bays wide with the front door centered on the façade and obscured by a metal storm door. The flanking bays are pierced by original, eight-over-eight, wood-sash windows. According to the survey file for the Aurora Jail, the original double jail cell and magistrate’s office remain intact on the interior.7
