{"nrhp_refnum":"75001453","name":"Mason, James, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8125 Mentor Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mentor","county":"Lake County","state":"OH","lat":41.66442877800006,"lon":-81.34912417099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half-story frame house at 8125 Mentor Avenue in Mentor, Lake County, Ohio, built around 1835 for James Mason, a Cleveland lawyer, with additions made in the 1850s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house may be connected to Jonathan Goldsmith, an Ohio architect known for unusual buildings. Its facade details, such as flush tongue-and-groove paneling, are Goldsmith trademarks, though the proportions are less refined than his known work. It is thought to be the work of men trained by Goldsmith, so it documents how his skills passed to other builders in Lake County. It also forms part of a historic streetscape along Mentor Avenue.","narrative":"Built around 1835 for James Mason, a Cleveland lawyer, this frame house on Mentor Avenue in Mentor, Ohio, has a tall, conservative facade divided into three bays by four Doric pilasters, with a gabled roof, a fanlight in the gable, and an entrance with a slightly pointed arch, transom and sidelights. The plan is a Latin cross whose arms form two-story porches. In the 1850s Abraham Garfield, son of President James Garfield, added to the rear, and later additions followed. The facade is covered in flush tongue-and-groove paneling, while the sides and rear have cedar clapboards. The house is considered significant for its possible link to Jonathan Goldsmith, an Ohio architect whose trademark details appear here, though the proportions are less polished than his documented work. It may reflect designers trained by Goldsmith, such as Charles Wallace Heard and Goldsmith's son Gillett, and it contributes to a historic stretch of Mentor Avenue.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Additions by Abraham Garfield; original design possibly influenced by or connected to Jonathan Goldsmith","architectural_style":"Greek Revival-style facade (the form cites Greek Revival references and a conservative c. 1835 facade with Doric pilasters)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in good condition, and owned by a church; the form records it as altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.91225-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/75001453.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001453/c378be55cc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001453/c378be55cc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LeeG7144","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Mason_House_Front_View.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LeeG7144</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Mason_House_Front_View.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989575","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138448098"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lake-county/mason-james-house-75001453/"}