The Floral Hall is a historic community building in the city of

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. Constructed in the 1880s for one of two competing

county fairs An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhib ...

, it is typical of exhibition buildings from the period. Although no longer used for the county fair, it has been named a

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History

Background

The first Wood County fair was held in 1851 in Bowling Green, although the next five years saw it held also at Perrysburg and Portageville, due partially to dissension among the sponsoring Agricultural Society members and partially to the presence of diseases such as

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and ague in the different grounds. The board purchased land at Tontogany for permanent fair grounds after the end of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

,''Commemorative Historical and Biographical Record of Wood County, Ohio: Its Past and Present''.

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: Beers, 1897. but Bowling Green still retained the memory of holding the county fair. This state of affairs ultimately induced the formation of a separate Wood County Fair Company in Bowling Green, which obtained land in Bowling Green and began holding fairs in 1881, becoming successful enough that the Agricultural Society began merger talks in 1885. From 1884 until 1894, their receipts grew from $3,889.30 to $7,945.99.

Usage

The Floral Hall was constructed in 1884 at the fairgrounds in Bowling Green; it originally held horticultural exhibits, although in the 20th century it was renamed "Needle Hall" after it began hosting

needlework Needlework refers to decorative sewing and other textile arts, textile handicrafts that involve the use of a Sewing needle, needle. Needlework may also include related textile crafts like crochet (which uses a crochet hook, hook), or tatting, ( ...

exhibitions. In later years, the fair moved to another location, the original grounds were converted into a city park, and all other buildings from the fairgrounds were eventually destroyed. However, the city retained the floral/needle hall, changing it into a picnic shelter and carefully attending to the building's upkeep.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 1414.

Architecture

Built of wood, the building sits on a brick

foundation Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

and is covered with a shingled roof. Stone elements are also present,,

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, 2007. Accessed 2014-02-22. and the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater, which may be fresh, saline, or brackish, depending on the loc ...

is built of wood. One

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tall, the hall is an octagonal structure, typical of Ohio floral halls from the period; its plan is essentially a modified

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

. The doors and other parts of the facade bear Stick-style detailing. In 1982, the former floral/needle hall was listed on the

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, qualifying both because of its architecture and because of its place in local history. It is one of five National Register-listed locations in Bowling Green, and one of thirty-one in Wood County. Another Register-listed octagonal floral hall is located on the Morrow County fairgrounds in Mount Gilead.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures completed in 1884 Buildings and structures in Wood County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Wood County, Ohio Convention centers in Ohio Municipal parks in the United States Octagonal buildings in the United States Tourist attractions in Wood County, Ohio Wooden buildings and structures in the United States Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Bowling Green, Ohio