{"nrhp_refnum":"77001080","name":"Kettering, Charles F., House","other_names":["Ridgeleigh Terrace"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3965 Southern Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kettering","county":"Montgomery County","state":"OH","lat":39.69373795000004,"lon":-84.19382667793745,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-12-22","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1977-12-22","areas_of_significance":["Industry","Engineering","Transportation","Invention"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story early modern house known as Ridgeleigh Terrace at 3965 Southern Boulevard in Kettering, Montgomery County, Ohio, designed by Schenck and Williams and dated 1914. It sits on a ridge above the Great Miami River valley.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it Dayton's leading example of early modern design, by one of the city's leading firms of the period. It is also tied to nationally known owners: inventor Charles F. Kettering and his son Eugene Kettering, both prominent in automotive engineering and General Motors research.","narrative":"Ridgeleigh Terrace is a two-story house on a ridge in Kettering, Ohio, overlooking the Great Miami River valley. Designed by the firm Schenck and Williams and dated 1914, it blends early modern design with restrained Japanese influence. Three pitched-roof blocks are joined by flat-roofed extensions that form verandas and glassed viewing rooms. Boulder rubble foundations and chimneys contrast with stucco upper walls, wood stripping, wide verge boards, and a tile roof. A drive-through portal, a polygonal bay housing a concert organ, and a 1954 bedroom addition add to its character. The grounds include a garage with servants' quarters, a greenhouse, formal gardens, and a terraced oriental garden. The house is considered Dayton's leading example of early modern design. It is also associated with Charles F. Kettering, the inventor of the automotive starter and a General Motors research director, and with his son Eugene, a General Motors engineer. The property was later donated to Kettering Medical Center.","period_of_significance":"1914","architect_builder":"Schenck and Williams","architectural_style":"Early modern with strong Japanese influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, privately owned, and used as a private residence; the owner planned to use it for group meetings, a guest house, and a memorial museum. Condition is marked altered, with a 1954 master bedroom addition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.291439-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/77001080.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001080/2d22c94f53-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001080/2d22c94f53-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_F._Kettering_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_F._Kettering_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990518","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_F._Kettering_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5077528"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/montgomery-county/kettering-charles-f-house-77001080/"}