{"nrhp_refnum":"83002061","name":"Merriman, Wells E., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"641 W. Market St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Akron","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.09424246000003,"lon":-81.53756026599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half-story sandstone house at 641 West Market Street in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, built in 1860 for Wells E. Merriman, with a former stable and carriage house behind it.","why_significant":"The house is one of very few surviving \"upright and wing\" houses in Akron and one of only two built of stone. It is also the oldest residence on West Market Street and a recognized local landmark. The Merriman family were pioneers who played prominent roles in the city's agricultural, commercial, financial and civic development.","narrative":"Built in 1860 on West Market Street in Akron, this sandstone house was erected for Wells E. Merriman on seven acres his father, Charles Merriman, had bought for him. It follows the \"upright and wing\" form: a gable-ended main block of one and a half stories with a one-story wing and porch to the right. The form came west from New England and is common across the Western Reserve, but this is one of only two such stone houses in Akron. A kitchen addition was built in 1881, and the wing received a second story around 1900. A former stable and carriage house stands behind it. Wells Merriman made the models for the rubber machinery B.F. Goodrich used in starting Akron's rubber industry in 1870. His son Jesse became a banker and city councilman. Today it is the oldest residence on Market Street, a surviving landmark among buildings replaced by offices and apartments.","period_of_significance":"c. 1860","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Upright and wing vernacular house type with Greek Revival elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and private, with restoration work in progress; the owners plan to reinstall the slate roof, remove the glass porch enclosure and restore the stable door.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.48093-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/83002061.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002061/c48baa5c88-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002061/c48baa5c88-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wells_E._Merriman_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wells_E._Merriman_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991559","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138690662"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/merriman-wells-e-house-83002061/"}