The following story has been submitted by the Logan County History Center.
By: Beth Marshall
Architect William Kauffman designed some of Logan County’s most remarkable buildings. His work reached well beyond the county, leaving a legacy of architectural beauty and distinctive design.
James and Elizabeth Kauffman moved to a large farm in Harrison Township, Logan County, in the1830s. The youngest of their eight children, William, was born in 1857. When he was eleven years old, the family moved to Bellefontaine. His father was director of the County Infirmary. After graduating from Bellefontaine High School, William studied architecture at MIT in Boston. He established his firm in Pittsburgh in 1884 and designed many buildings, becoming very successful and well-known for his “originality and the architectural beauty of his designs.”
One of the buildings he designed in Logan County was the Children’s Home. Built in 1886-1887, it was a large three-story brick building which stood until 1907 when it burned.
In 1887, he designed the Methodist Episcopal Church on the corner of Main Street and Sandusky Ave. in Bellefontaine, which is still being used for its original purpose.
The Bellefontaine National Bank hired Kauffman to design their new building in 1892. It was an imposing three-story building on the corner of Main St. and Columbus Ave. that was described in the newspaper as “a most handsome edifice, an architectural beauty, and is a great improvement to the town.” It was razed in 1966 to make room for a new bank building.
Memorial Hall, built as a home for the Civil War veterans’ organization, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), was built in 1894. Designed by Kauffman, the three-story red brick building still stands on the corner of Court Ave. and Opera Street. It was reported that the County Commissioners paid him $20,000 as the architect.
An 1896 newspaper article tells of Kauffman working with G.W. B. Ferris, inventor of the Ferris Wheel, on a reproduction in miniature of the great 1893 Columbian Exposition to be built in Cincinnati.
In 1903, Kauffman submitted plans for the new Carnegie Free Library in Bellefontaine. Andrew Carnegie had promised $12,000 for the construction of a town library. Kauffman donated the plans as his part of the effort to secure a library for Bellefontaine, saving the committee approximately $500. Since his original plans were slightly more than the appropriation would cover, he revised them, and they were gladly accepted. The new library was a single story of buff brick and limestone with a basement. It had art glass windows and oak interior trim. The new Bellefontaine Public Library opened in 1905.
One of the most impressive buildings designed by William Kauffman is the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, built in 1906-1907. It cost $1.4 million and has an ornate eighty-five-foot dome which can be viewed from the building’s interior. Kauffman was paid $50,000 for his services.
A memorial stone gateway to Rutan Park was designed by Kauffman in 1917. It was dedicated to the memory of the donor, Rebecca Rutan Williams, by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Kauffman retired and returned to Bellefontaine in 1931. He died in 1945, being the last of his immediate family, with only four nephews and a niece remaining as heirs. He had a large estate, which included a 966-acre farm in Harrison Township, several lots in Bellefontaine, and investments. Provisions in his will left the income from his estate to his heirs. Upon the death of his last heir in 1967, Logan County received the farm property and Bellefontaine the remainder of the estate. The farm was auctioned for $1.2 million in 1977, with the proceeds used to build the county office annex behind the Courthouse.
Visit the Logan County History Center to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History. The History Center is open for tours Wednesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
