Roof Replacement in the Hudson, Ohio Historic District
Houses near the Green and Western Reserve Academy have Hudson's oldest and steepest roofs, and its only roofs that need a board's approval before the shingles change.
Quick facts
- Housing
- Greek Revival, Italianate and Colonial Revival houses from the early 1800s through about 1940.
- Roofs
- Steep main gables with wings, ells and porches at different pitches. Plank decking is common.
- Who approves
- The Architectural and Historic Board of Review, through the city's Historic District application. Community Development is at 1140 Terex Road.
- How pricing works
- After measuring, the owner puts one flat figure in writing. It holds for a year, which covers the wait for a board meeting.
Where is the Hudson Historic District?
At the center of town. The district first went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, covering the blocks roughly bounded by College, Streetsboro, South Main and Baldwin streets. A boundary increase in October 1989 took in a wider ring, out toward Hudson Street, Old Orchard Drive, Aurora Street and Oviatt Street. A second increase, approved in June 2022, added Elm Street and Roslyn Avenue, where the houses date from about 1900 to 1940.
The Green sits in the middle of it, and the Western Reserve Academy campus lines College Street. The school began as Western Reserve College in 1826 and the college left for Cleveland in 1882. David Hudson's own house, from 1805, still stands and is the oldest structure in Summit County.
The city posts a district map, and Community Development staff will confirm an address.
What kinds of roofs do Historic District houses have?
Not one kind. A Greek Revival house from the 1830s usually has a steep front gable with a lower wing off one side. Italianate houses have shallower hipped roofs with wide eaves. The Colonial Revival homes of the 1920s on Aurora Street look simpler from the street but hide dormers and rear additions.
What they share matters more to a roofer:
- Many small planes. Wings, ells, bays and porches each have their own slope, and each joint between them needs flashing.
- Steep pitch. Main gables here are often too steep to walk, so the work is done from roof jacks and planks.
- Plank decking. Before plywood, roofs were decked with boards. Old boards can have gaps, splits and soft ends at the eaves that only show once the shingles are off.
- Brick chimneys. Often more than one, with old mortar and flashing that has been patched for decades.
- Low porch roofs. Some are too flat for shingles. Those are noted in the photo report and left to a flat-roof specialist.
Asphalt shingles are the only roofing this company installs. Many district houses already have asphalt, put on over the last century in place of wood. If yours still has slate or wood shakes, we are not the right company for it, and the report will tell you so.
Does a new roof in the Historic District need approval?
Yes. The City of Hudson lists roof shingle replacement among the projects that go on its Historic District application, along with any other exterior project inside the district or at a designated landmark. The application is decided by the Architectural and Historic Board of Review. City Council created the board in March 1975, soon after the district was listed, and it issues certificates of appropriateness using the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and the city's own Architectural Design Standards.
The board meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Town Hall, 27 East Main Street. After it approves a project, the city says the zoning certificate is issued within one to two business days.
None of this is hard, but it has to happen before the old roof comes off. Our post on reroofing in the Historic District lays out the order of steps and a sample timeline.
How do you plan a Historic District roof around the review?
Work backward from the install. Roof installs start in spring 2027. A homeowner who gets the inspection done over the winter has the photo report, the proposed shingle and color, and a written quote in hand with weeks to spare for a board date.
The quote is good for a year. If the board asks for a different color, or the meeting you wanted fills up, the price waits. Nobody will push you to sign before the city has had its say.
Color deserves real thought on these houses. Quiet, dark, even-toned shingles tend to suit them, and our guide to shingle colors for Western Reserve colonials explains why. The product itself is described on the architectural shingles page.
What else wears on roofs near the Green?
Trees and time. Between 1910 and 1925 the Hudson-born industrialist James Ellsworth paid for tree plantings along with the town's water, sewer and electric systems, and big street trees are still part of how the district looks. They shade the north slopes, feed moss, and fill valleys and built-in gutters with leaves.
Old chimneys are the other steady source of leaks. If water shows up near a fireplace wall, read about chimney flashing repair in Hudson. A sound roof with one leak may only need a roof repair.
Historic District roofing questions
Can I put asphalt shingles on a house in the Hudson Historic District?
Many district houses already have them. Any roof shingle replacement inside the district goes on the city's Historic District application and is decided by the Architectural and Historic Board of Review, so the board has the final word on your specific shingle and color.
How do I know if my house is in the Historic District?
The City of Hudson publishes a map of the district, and the Community Development department can confirm an address. Designated historic landmarks outside the district go through the same application.
When does the Architectural and Historic Board of Review meet?
According to the city, at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, at Town Hall on East Main Street. Check the city's calendar for the current schedule before you plan around a date.
Start a Historic District roof with a free inspection
The photo report gives you the roof's condition and the proposed shingle in one document, ready for the city's application.