Court Avenue
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First Concrete Street In U.S.
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Westward along Court Avenue
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| Location | Bellefontaine, Ohio, United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°21′38″N 83°45′33″W / 40.36056°N 83.75917°WCoordinates: 40°21′38″N 83°45′33″W / 40.36056°N 83.75917°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | George Bartholomew |
| NRHP Reference # | 74001547 |
| Added to NRHP | February 25, 1974 |
Court Avenue is a small street in downtown Bellefontaine, Ohio, United States, located adjacent to the Logan County Courthouse. First paved in 1893, it is known for being the first street in the United States to be paved with concrete.
Court Avenue, like Bellefontaine's other streets, was originally a dirt road that could easily become dusty or muddy in bad weather. In 1886, concrete pioneer George Bartholomew moved to Logan County, where he found high-quality raw materials used for concrete production. By 1891, he had hopes of using concrete for street pavement, so he gained the Bellefontaine city council's permission to pave a few square feet of the nearby Main Street as a test patch. Although some feared that concrete pavement would quickly be damaged or destroyed, the pavement endured, and in 1893, the council permitted the pavement of all the streets surrounding the courthouse, including Court Avenue. While Bartholomew provided the materials, the actual process of laying the concrete was led by James Wonders, the county engineer. The council was not initially enthusiastic about the proposal, nevertheless; having found no previous examples of such paving methods, it required Bartholomew to donate the cement and to pay a $5,000 bond to ensure that the pavement would last for five years. These fears also led authorities to have the concrete covered in sawdust in cold weather.
Although Bartholomew paved all four streets surrounding the courthouse, Main and Opera Streets and Columbus Avenue have since been paved over with asphalt due to damage from a broken water main in the 1950s. Consequently, Court Avenue has become a center of historical interest and preservation efforts as the only remaining example of Bartholomew's original pavement. Various anniversaries have seen celebrations and reconstructions, including the placement of a large concrete memorial on the courthouse grounds on the 50th anniversary, rededication on the 70th anniversary, and recognition with a historical marker on the 75th anniversary. Bartholomew's concrete was strong enough to see little damage for its first several decades, requiring the expense of only $1,400 for maintenance in its first fifty years, although it required reconstruction in the 1960s. On February 25, 1974, the street was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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