{"nrhp_refnum":"77001133","name":"Passavant House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"243 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Zelienople","county":"Butler County","state":"PA","lat":40.79301704000005,"lon":-80.13664794099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick house in Zelienople, Butler County, Pennsylvania, built in 1809 on a sandstone foundation. It is three bays wide and two deep, with a frame two-story rear addition from about 1820.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is the oldest house in Zelienople and is well preserved, with a notable Philadelphia-style doorway. It was built by the town's founder, Frederick William Detmar Basse, as a wedding gift for his daughter Zelie and her husband Philippe Passavant. The house is also linked to Dr. William A. Passavant, Zelie's son, who founded hospitals, a theological school, a children's home and Thiel College.","narrative":"Built in 1809 of brick on a sandstone foundation, the Passavant House in Zelienople was a wedding gift from Frederick William Detmar Basse, the German-born founder of the town, to his daughter Zelie and her husband Philippe Passavant. The two-story house is three bays wide and two deep. Its centrally placed doorway is recessed between reeded pilasters and carries a full pediment, with paneled doors and a sunburst transom in the manner of Georgian Philadelphia. A brick stringcourse is the only exterior decoration. A two-story frame addition of about 1820 doubled the floor area at the rear, and a bay window and Greek Revival porch were added in 1915. The interior retains most of its original woodwork, including flooring, paneling and mantels. It is regarded as the oldest house in Zelienople and is notable for its well-preserved doorway and interior.","period_of_significance":"1809","architect_builder":"Frederick William Detmar Basse (builder)","architectural_style":"Federal, Greek Revival and classical revival elements, as described in the form","criteria":[],"status_note":"The form describes the property's condition as excellent and states that the interior retains most of its original woodwork.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.453645-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/77001133.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001133/0d025b316e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001133/0d025b316e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Passavant_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Passavant_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998885","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passavant_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7142556"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/butler-county/passavant-house-77001133/"}