Main Street Ravenna

09/13/2026

We believe Grandparents Day gets overlooked too often, but having this generation in kids' lives means so much! Thank you to all you grandparents out there for all you do!

09/11/2026

🎈 Fourth Friday: Balloon‑a‑Fair Edition — September 25! 🎈

Downtown Ravenna is gearing up for one of the most colorful celebrations of the year, and you’re invited to be part of the fun!

On September 25, stroll through our historic downtown and enjoy delicious food, live music, unique shopping, and festive Balloon‑a‑Fair excitement. Local businesses will be showing off their creativity with vibrant window displays — and you get to vote for your favorite!

Let’s celebrate this once‑a‑year tradition in true Ravenna style. Bring your friends, bring your family, and join us downtown for an evening full of color, community, and hometown pride.

See you on September 25 for Fourth Friday! 🎉

09/07/2026

09/05/2026

Did you know Main Street Ravenna is a nonprofit dedicated to making our downtown more vibrant, welcoming, and full of life? That mission only happens when our community comes together.

Our historic, walkable downtown has so much untapped potential. With your support, we can bring more projects to life—just like the mural on Megan’s Restaurant or the improvements at Township Park.

We’re looking for your time, your talents, and your treasures to keep revitalizing the heart of Ravenna.

If you’d like to help move our downtown forward, visit www.mainstreetravenna.org to contribute today.

Together, we can make downtown Ravenna shine even brighter

09/03/2026

Exciting news!!!

09/02/2026

Just one of architectural jewels in downtown Ravenna getting some well deserved recognition!

When Riddle Block 1 was completed in 1889, it was Ravenna’s largest and most imposing building. Constructed by prominent local builder Henry Warner Riddle and designed by Ravenna native and architect Willard Bacon, the building required more than one million locally made bricks. Its Romanesque architecture complemented the courthouse next door and helped establish the distinctive character of downtown Ravenna.

From the beginning, Riddle Block 1 was designed to be a true mixed-use downtown building, with shops, offices, apartments, meeting rooms, and a large dance hall. It was one of several downtown business blocks developed by the Riddle family between 1870 and 1915, creating an architectural legacy that continues to define Ravenna today. In 1976, Riddle Block 1 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Its future became uncertain following a devastating fire in 1992. With thousands of dollars in damage, demolition was considered. Instead, the community chose preservation, and the building was restored, allowing one of Ravenna’s most recognizable landmarks to continue serving the downtown.

Today, Riddle Block 1 remains a multi-use building and is home to Hometown Bank, a longtime community institution. Prominently located across from the Portage County Courthouse, it continues to provide a striking entrance to the heart of Ravenna and is regularly featured in historic walks and guided tours.

Riddle Block 1 is a Celebrated 250 success because preservation allowed a building designed for an active downtown more than 135 years ago to continue fulfilling that role today. What historic building has your community saved and returned to productive use? Submit it to Heritage Ohio’s 250 Buildings, 250 Stories initiative and help us celebrate Ohio’s preservation success stories. Submit your building's story www.heritageohio.org/250-buildings-250-stories/

08/27/2026

TOMMORROW!

Swing by Downtown Ravenna for our Fourth Friday event before or after your visit to the fair!

We have lots of fun planned for you with prizes and more! Come see what our shops and restaurants have to offer, all while showing off your scavenger skills.

See you Friday August 28th!

08/26/2026

Heritage Ohio’s 250 Buildings, 250 Stories celebrates the places that hold the heart of our communities. One of Ravenna’s most cherished landmarks—our historic Ravenna Post Office—stands proudly among those stories.

Ravenna’s Post Office is a shining architectural treasure, honoring our past while reflecting a strong and vibrant future. Its craftsmanship showcases details rarely found in modern construction: delicately carved baseboards, beautifully accented postal boxes, and colorful painted wall frescos that depict the rich history of our area. Every corner of the building carries a sense of intention, artistry, and community pride.

Our community values this remarkable structure, a post office unlike any other in the region. It remains not only a functional space but a symbol of Ravenna’s heritage—an enduring reminder of the beauty and character that define our downtown.

For more than 90 years, the Ravenna Post Office has served the community in exactly the way it was intended, making it a remarkable example of both architectural preservation and continuity of purpose.

Built in 1934 at a cost of $88,000, the Art Deco-influenced building was designed by architects Albert H. Good and Edwin D. Wagner and constructed by the Robert Evans Company of Canton. Ravenna’s need for a first-class post office was driven in part by the success of the Ford Seed Company, which mailed catalogs and seed packets to customers across the country and around the world.

From the beginning, the Post Office was truly a community building. Despite freezing rain, approximately 300 residents attended the cornerstone ceremony and parade in November 1933. A time capsule filled with mementos from those in attendance remains within the cornerstone. When the completed building opened for public tours in March 1934, an estimated 3,000 people came to see their new Post Office.

Inside, many of the building’s original details remain, including decorative moldings and an important mural by WPA artist Clarence Holbrook Carter depicting “Early Ravenna.” Even as the community grew, the building continued to serve its original purpose. Increased mail volume led to a major addition in 1963, allowing the Post Office to adapt while remaining in its historic downtown home.

Today, the Ravenna Post Office remains both a working public building and a familiar community landmark. Generations of residents have walked through its doors to mail packages, purchase stamps, collect correspondence, and carry out the ordinary routines that connect people and communities. While many historic buildings have changed uses numerous times, Ravenna’s Post Office has remained steadfast—an unbroken thread connecting the Ravenna of 1934 with the community of today.

250 Buildings 250 Stories celebrates the places that hold the stories of our communities. What building in your hometown has been part of everyday life for generations? Submit it to Heritage Ohio’s 250 Buildings, 250 Stories initiative and help us tell the stories of the places that make Ohio’s communities unique. www.heritageohio.org/250-buildings-250-stories

08/26/2026

It's National Dog Day!

We thought we would share a couple of pics of the pups that visited us during our June "Art on Main" event to celebrate all of our furry friends out there today.

08/25/2026

Swing by Downtown Ravenna for our Fourth Friday event before or after your visit to the fair!

We have lots of fun planned for you with prizes and more! Come see what our shops and restaurants have to offer, all while showing off your scavenger skills.

See you Friday August 28th!