The Bushnell Building was designed by the celebrated Chicago architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. It was built in two phases in 1893 and 1903. It was built in the Beaux Arts and Second Renaissance Revival styles.
The building was built by Asa S. Bushnell. He was one of the founders of what is now the Navistar Corporation. He was also the founder and first president of the First National Bank and U.S. Depository which was located on the 1 st floor of the Bushnell Building on the east side. This bank later became the First National Bank and later BancOhio National Bank and later National City Bank. Asa S. Bushnell served as Governor of the State of Ohio from 1896 to 1900. He was responsible for the Masonic Home, International Order of Odd Fellows Home and Knights of Phthias Home, all being located in Springfield, Ohio.
The Bushnell Building was originally designed as an office building, which is the use to which it is being restored at the present time. The 1 st floor of this five-story building was utilized by the First National Bank and U.S. Depository and Kinnane's Dry Goods Store. The 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th floors were used as office space. The 5 th floor was used as the Masonic Temple. A number of law firms occupied the office space including that of Harry L. Toulmin. Mr. Toulmin was a nationally known patent attorney. He was the patent attorney who applied for and defended the patents for the Wright Brothers on several different components of their airplane. He prosecuted this case all the way through the United States Supreme Court over a nine-year period. Notable attorneys who were located in the Bushnell Building include Oscar T. Martin, Paul C. Martin and A. I. Zimmerman. Other office tenants included various doctors, insurance agents, collection agents, and various business organizations.
In later years the building was converted to the Home Store, which was a department store. This was eventually bought out by the Edward Wren Company, which was an upscale department store. The Edward Wren Company was later bought out by the Allied Stores of New York City. The Allied Stores eventually became part of the Federated Department Stores, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Wren's Department Store, as it was then known, was merged with Block's Department Store of Indianapolis, Indiana. Block's Department Store operated for a number of years before closing in approximately 1987.
The Bushnell Building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is in the process of being painstakingly restored by James H. and Nike D. Lagos. The primary contractor for the project is C & N Industrial Contractors, Inc., which was also the primary contractor for the restoration of the Heritage Center in downtown Springfield. The restoration is being done to the exacting standards of the National Parks Service, the Ohio Historical Society and the Springfield Historic Landmarks Commission. While being operated as a department store the windows which surround the building on all four directions were painted on both sides of the glass and painted shut so that they were all totally inoperable. They were hidden from view from the interior by partition walls. All of the windows have been restored by hand so that the original glass is clear and all windows are now functional. This necessitated also restoring by hand the75 pound counter-weights on both sides of each window. All of the original partitioning has been removed so that each floor is now flooded with light. All of the restoration work that is being done is focused on preserving the windows.
On the outside, all of the original brick and decorative work was cleaned by hand. No sand blasting, water blasting chemical cleaning or even pressure washing was used. The decorative work includes fantastic lions heads, floral wreaths, cherubs, garlands of fruit and flowers, a Greek key design and fleur-de-lis. The elaborate marble entranceway off Fountain Avenue has been fully restored including all of the elaborate plaster work in the ceiling. The marble staircase extends all the way to the tope of the 5 th floor. The elaborate wrought iron work that was done for this marble staircase was made in Springfield. Springfield was an internationally known center for this type of work. One third of the wrought iron in New Orleans came from Springfield.
The up-to-date safety features and amenities which have been added include a sprinkler system that even covers every closet from the basement to the attic, three new furnaces which operate in series with 2.9 million BTUs of heating capacity, a new electric chiller, new ventilation systems to meet the latest ambient air quality standards, three new fire escape doors, very extensive Americans with Disabilities Act work and an elaborate fire alarm system which includes strobe lights.
The present owner is committed to providing customized space for the most discriminating of tenants who wishes to be in an authentically restored historic building with all of the modern conveniences. The building is attached to a five-story parking garage, which is located on 19-21 North Limestone Street and was formerly the site of a livery. Extensive work has also been completed on the adjacent buildings to the north at 26 North Fountain Avenue, which are even older than the Bushnell Building. The buildings were the Western Auto Store, a hotel and the historic Erter's Livery. When fully renovated, the Bushnell Building will again be the crown jewel of downtown Springfield, Ohio.
The Bushnell Building also housed the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau for a multi-county area in completely renovated office space on the second floor, which met the very strict specifications of the General Services Administration. Also available is 75,000 square feet of space located on the 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th floors and two very large attics with wood beamed ceilings may be converted to artists lofts or loft apartments. Bushnell Investment Company, Inc. is committed to providing customized space for the most discriminating of tenants who wish to be in an authentically restored historic building with all of the modern conveniences.
