Why Coldwater? How to make an application to the National Register of Historic Places

Having recently completed a study of Historic Theaters in Ohio, I was fascinated to learn that the Pythian Temple in Columbus was built, in 1925, by Samuel Plato, an African American architect. This seemed like a wonderful achievement considering that even today, African American architects only account for 2% of the people in that field.
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards estimates as of the end of 2013 that there are 105,847 licensed architects in the United States. Of these, 2,006, or about 2%, are self-identified as African American, and listed in the Directory of African American Architects; only 343 of these are African American women. – Wikipedia
African American involvement in buildings throughout Ohio deserves to be recognised and celebrated.  I began to look for other places with connections to Plato.  There is a wonderful resource for this information at The Filson Historical Society that consists of .33 cubic feet of personal and professional papers and approximately 600 photographs.

Plato was an African American pioneer in the field of architecture. He was the first African American to receive a government contract to build a post office. He designed thirty-eight post offices in his career as well as churches, schools, banks, theaters, and housing. –  James J. Holmberg for the Filson Historical Society  |  February 28th, 2012
It didn’t take long to find his name in connection to the Post Office in Coldwater, Ohio. Newspaper articles from this archive confirm that Plato was awarded a contract for the building.
During Jim Crow segregation in the first half of twentieth century, Plato broke racial barriers and achieved success in white-dominated architectural field. He promoted black workforce through professional organizations, integrated black and white workers on his projects, won trade union membership for black craftsmen, and secured training and skilled jobs for blacks. He was one of few black architects to win federal contracts for post offices and housing.  His work on federal housing earned praise from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, 1943. – Indiana Historical Marker

I am certain that we will discover other buildings in Ohio that are associated with this remarkable man but I thought that this small Post Office was a good place to start…

Why Coldwater? How make an application to the National Register of Historic Places