Oliver W. Marble, Architect

Oliver W. Marble moved to Sandusky in 1901, after having worked as an architect in Chicago for twenty-two years. In Chicago, his firm, Wilson and Marble, designed the Chinese Village and Theater for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. After arriving in Sandusky, he quickly made a name for himself with many local designs.

Mr. Marble, along with Ed Bertsch, was the architect for the First Congregational Church of Marblehead, Ohio, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.  After the American Crayon Company plant in Sandusky suffered a massive fire in October of 1901, he was selected to draw up plans for the construction of several new buildings for the company.

Marble also designed and built the White House Hotel at Cedar Point in 1901, pictured in the postcard below.

    

An article in the July 26, 1901 Sandusky Daily Star stated that “the attainments of Mr. Oliver W. Marble, of this city, are of the highest order. Mr. Marble is deservedly popular, not only with property owners, contractors, builders and other directly interested in improvements, but with the business community and general public.” 

Mr. Marble was active in the First Church of Christ Scientist where he was first reader and healer. In the early 1900s, Erie County Prosecutor Roy H. Williams prosecuted him for practicing medicine without a license. Mr. Marble was found guilty of the charge, but the Erie County Common Pleas Court dismissed the verdict. The prosecutor appealed the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, and the Court overruled the trial court and reinstated the guilty verdict.  

Oliver W. Marble died on June 4, 1908. He was survived by his wife and four children.