Bender's Restaurant is a historic

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

and

commercial building Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

in downtown Canton,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Constructed in 1899 and expanded soon afterward by connecting two adjacent buildings, it remains in use as a restaurant, and it has been named a

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

. Canton's biggest years of growth occurred around the turn of the twentieth century, and

Guy Tilden 350px, Lions Lincoln Theater, Massillon, Ohio Guy Tilden (May 11, 1858 – August, 6, 1929) was a Canton, Ohio, United States Architect during the late 19th and early 20th century. Several of his structures are listed on the National Regis ...

was the city's leading architect of the period.Whitticar, Ruth, and Amy Shriver. '.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, July 1986. In the 1890s and early 1900s, Tilden favored the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style, but Bender's represents a transition in his thinking away from

revivalism Revivalism may refer to: * Christian revival, increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or society, with a local, national or global effect * Revivalism (architecture), the use of visual styles that consciously ...

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 A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

and barbershop. No significant changes have been performed since 1908.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 2.

St. Clair Shores St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located about northeast of downtown Detroit. Its population was 59,715 at the 2010 ce ...

: Somerset, 1277. By 1918, Bender's reputation had grown to the point that the ''

Automobile Blue Book The ''Automobile Blue Book'' was an American Book series, series of road Guide book, guides for driving, motoring travelers in the United States and Canada published between 1901 and 1929. It was best known for its point-to-point road directions ...

'' was promoting it as a destination for out-of-state road travellers.''Official Automobile Blue Book 1918''. Vol. 3. New York, Chicago, and San Francisco: Automobile Blue Book, 1918, 832. Two

stories Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

tall, Bender's is built of brick on a

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

, while the buildings added in 1908 are constructed of

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

and brick. Bender's facade is divided into three

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

; much of the exterior features

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

in place of ordinary

display window A display window, also a shop window (British English) or store window (American English), is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the f ...

s, and comparatively little ornamentation is otherwise present. Inside, large amounts of wooden panelling are present, and other original elements are also present, including the separate women's entrance, the marble

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

, the

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also c ...

ed ceilings with visible structural elements, tiled floors, and a group of

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s produced by a travelling German painter. In 1987, Bender's was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, qualifying because of its historically significant architecture. It was part of a

multiple property submission The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of Historic districts in the United States, districts, sites, buildings, struc ...

of five Guy Tilden-designed properties in Canton, all of which were added to the Register together; the Harry E. Fife House and the Weber Dental Manufacturing Company are likewise still on the Register, although the

Hotel Courtland The Hotel Courtland in Canton, Ohio, also or formerly known as St. Francis Hotel and as Stark County Office Building, was built in 1905. It was designed by architect Guy Tilden. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The ...

and the

Case Mansion The Case Mansion in Canton, Ohio, was a historic work of architect Guy Tilden. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official ...

have since been removed.

References

External links

Restaurant website
Commercial buildings completed in 1899 Buildings and structures in Canton, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Stark County, Ohio Restaurants in Ohio 1899 establishments in Ohio Restaurants on the National Register of Historic Places Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio {{Restaurants in Ohio