Bender's Restaurant
Historic Canton restaurant designed by architect Guy Tilden.
via Wikipedia: Bender's Restaurant · see source
Bender's Restaurant in downtown Canton, Ohio, began as the Belmont Buffet in 1899, designed by local architect Guy Tilden. The Benders firm bought it in 1908 and soon connected two neighboring buildings, which had housed a livery and barbershop, to expand the restaurant. No major changes have been made since then. The two-story brick building sits on a sandstone foundation, with the later additions built of ashlar and brick. Its facade has three bays, stained glass windows, and minimal ornamentation. Inside, original features include wood paneling, a separate women's entrance, marble wainscoting, coffered ceilings, tiled floors, and murals by a traveling German painter. By 1918, the Automobile Blue Book promoted it to out-of-state travelers. Bender's was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 as part of a group of five Tilden-designed properties in Canton.
Quick Facts
- Location
- 137 Court Ave. SW, Canton, Ohio
- Built
- 1899
- Architect
- Guy Tilden
- Added
- July 21, 1987
- Area
- Less than 1 acres / 0.004 km²
Facts from the source article.
Background
Canton's biggest years of growth occurred around the turn of the twentieth century, and Guy Tilden was the city's leading architect of the period. In the 1890s and early 1900s, Tilden favored the Romanesque Revival style, but Bender's represents a transition in his thinking away from revivalism and toward simpler, newer modes of construction. He was responsible for the original Bender's building, constructed in 1899 as the Belmont Buffet, although the present structure is significantly larger than the original building as purchased by the Benders firm in 1908.
Soon after obtaining the Belmont, Benders bought two buildings next door, and before long the restaurant had displaced the former occupants, a livery and barbershop. No significant changes have been performed since 1908. By 1918, Bender's reputation had grown to the point that the Automobile Blue Book was promoting it as a destination for out-of-state road travellers. Inside, large amounts of wooden panelling are present, and other original elements are also present, including the separate women's entrance, the marble wainscoting, the coffered ceilings with visible structural elements, tiled floors, and a group of murals produced by a travelling German painter.
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