{"nrhp_refnum":"66000662","name":"West, Benjamin, Birthplace","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Swarthmore College campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Swarthmore","county":"Delaware County","state":"PA","lat":39.90518027500005,"lon":-75.35149729987236,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1965-12-21","areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half story stone house with a gambrel roof on the Swarthmore College campus in Swarthmore, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, reported to have been built in 1724 and used as a faculty residence.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant as the birthplace of painter Benjamin West, who became a leading portraitist and historical painter in England and encouraged many young American artists. It also cites West's role in developing neo-classical painting and his royal commissions under George III.","narrative":"Built on the Swarthmore College campus, the stone house is reported to date from 1724 and is known as the birthplace of the painter Benjamin West, born there in 1738. Its exterior, with a gambrel roof, pedimented entrance porch and paired gable-end brick chimneys, survives from the early period, although a fire in 1874 gutted the interior and the present rooms date from the renovation that followed. West left for Europe in 1760, settled in England in 1763 and became historical painter to George III. The nomination credits him with introducing neo-classical features into English painting and with encouraging young American artists, among them Gilbert Stuart, Charles Willson Peale, John Trumbull and Thomas Sully. The house was designated a Registered National Historic Landmark on the strength of this connection to his early life.","period_of_significance":"1738-1753","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Used as a faculty residence and owned by Swarthmore College; gutted by fire in 1874 with the present interior dating from later renovation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:12:57.086069-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/66000662_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000662/964ccb7206-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000662/964ccb7206-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"User:Smallbones at English Wikipedia.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BWestBplace.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Smallbones at English Wikipedia.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BWestBplace.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994411","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_West_Birthplace","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4889374"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/delaware-county/west-benjamin-birthplace-66000662/"}