{"nrhp_refnum":"72001145","name":"Billmeyer, Michael, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6505-6507 Germantown Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.048554582000065,"lon":-75.18344023899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-01-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Two houses with similar plans under one roof, two and one-half stories with a full cellar, built of stone on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The street facade is dressed stone and the sides are rough stone.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the houses are significant for their architecture, including exterior wood details described as being in the finest Germantown tradition. The form also links the site to the 1777 Battle of Germantown, stating that the attack on the British-held Chew House was reportedly directed from the step of the house. The original interior features, including a fireplace with crane and utensils, are noted as well.","narrative":"Two houses with similar plans stand under one roof on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, two and one-half stories tall with a full cellar. The street facade is dressed stone and the sides are rough stone, with a rear stone wing and a frame addition. Hans George Bensell acquired the land in 1727, and the first known owner of the houses, Michael Billmeyer, publisher of an almanac and newspaper and German printer for the Pennsylvania Assembly, bought them in 1787. Interior features that survive include a dining room fireplace with a brick hearth and original crane and utensils, original flooring in the living and dining rooms, and the original front door with its bolts, hinges and locks. The exterior wood details are regarded as being in the finest Germantown tradition. Local tradition holds that the 1777 attack on the British-held Chew House during the Battle of Germantown was directed from the step of the property. The street is now a National Historic Landmark.","period_of_significance":"18th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Original interior features survive, including flooring, front door hardware and most sashes; a modern dental office is attached to the northwest.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.31639-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/72001145.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001145/e2991f65c6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001145/e2991f65c6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Micheal_Billmeyer_6505_Germantown.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Micheal_Billmeyer_6505_Germantown.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000678","name":"Colonial Germantown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/colonial-germantown-historic-district-66000678/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997024","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Billmeyer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6828641"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/billmeyer-michael-house-72001145/"}