Joseph W. Yost (1842-1923) – Yost was a Columbus area architect who was responsible for
designing some of the area’s most striking structures. In 1885, he designed the Miami County
Courthouse in Troy. His impact on Piqua included the First Presbyterian Church (1889), the Slauson
Building (1889), North Street School (1889), Schmidlapp Library (1889), the Plaza Hotel on the
square (1890), and the Barber home (1891). He is best known for his massive structures done in the
Richardsonian Romanesque Style.