The West by the River/West Ave. Historic District

Located in Elyria, Ohio, the Historic District encompasses parts of West Avenue, Middle Avenue, 3rd Street, 4th Street, 5th Street, Barres and Holly Lane [MAP]. On February 6, 1989, the City of Elyria designated the 'West Avenue Historic District', which is also known under the name, 'West by the River Historic District'. Currently this is the City of Elyria's ONLY locally designated historic district.

The neighborhood includes excellent intact examples of a wide variety of architecture styles popular during the mid-19th to mid-20th century including Greek Revival/Italianate, Italian Villa, Italianate, Second Empire, Shingle Style, Queen Anne, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Mediterranean Revival.

National Register Historic District

The 'Elyria Downtown-West Avenue National Register Historic District', designated on January 16, 2001, which contains close to 140 contributing structures, includes the primary commercial buildings of the downtown area and also joins with the residential neighborhood along West Avenue where it dovetails with the locally designated West by the River Historic District.

The Nonprofit

This website was created and is run by volunteers of the nonprofit organization created to support the District neighborhood. Please see the Membership page for additional information.

The West By The River Historical Improvement Corp.; [a 501 (c)(3)]

The mission of this organization shall be to educate the citizens of Elyria about local history, and restore and preserve our wonderful historic neighborhood; to end the destruction of the irreplaceable architecture thus preserving the heritage of Elyria and encouraging community involvement; to nurture a neighborly trust throughout the West by the River Historic District and the surrounding community. 

Board of Trustees

Chairperson: Matt Swabb
Vice-Chairperson: Tom Aden
Secretary: Shannon Swabb
Treasurer: Sheila Massimiani
 Bill Kloss, Robin Koch, Kevin Krischer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Historic District?

Refers to a district or neighborhood in a city or town characterized by the unique historic quality of the buildings within the district. All exterior changes to all buildings and the construction of new buildings in a historic district is subject to special architectural and design guidelines as voted by the city or town pursuant to state law. There are hundreds of historic districts throughout the USA. 

What is the Elyria Landmarks Preservation Commission?

A city commission (similar to Planning Commission) made up of volunteers designated by the Mayor of Elyria to approve/disapprove exterior changes to buildings in the West Avenue Historic District.

What is The West By The River Historical Improvement Corp.?

This is a non-profit organization that was put together by homeowners in the district. Anyone who supports our mission can become a member. It has NO regulatory control. Its very simply people who care about the historic district. It has nothing to do with the City of Elyria government or the Elyria Landmarks Preservation Commission. The nonprofit put together this website to further its mission.

We are a participating organization in the Lorain County Preservation Network.

Contact Us

Email: info@westbytheriver.org