Toledo

Book excerpt: The last place most 19th-century settlers wanted to move was the swampy, fever-ridden Toledo area. However, with the assistance of Irish and German immigrants, among others, Toledo was transformed from a village into a thriving city within 50 years. Captured here is the growth and expansion of the area through the indelible contributions of Toledo's architects. In 1850, Toledo had only 3,800 residents, but the introduction of canals and railroads quadrupled the population. Designated as the new county seat, major public buildings and hotels were built. Isaiah Rogers, one of the most famous architects in the nation, designed the Oliver House Hotel; Toledo's first architect, Frank Scott, planned many notable landscapes in the city as well as some of the most interesting houses; and designing almost every major commercial building in the city was Charles Crosby Miller. All of these, as well as David Stine and Edward Fallis, infused Toledo's pride into local landmarks of the past and present, including the Boody House, the Wheeler Opera House, the mansions of Collingwood Avenue, and the churches and breweries that complete Toledo's neighborhoods and downtown.