{"nrhp_refnum":"83002260","name":"Evans, Benjamin, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off PA 93","address_restricted":false,"city":"Nescopeck","county":"Luzerne County","state":"PA","lat":41.043556469000066,"lon":-76.22155651599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-08-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame house in the Italian Villa style in the rural Nescopeck area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, built about 1850-1855 for Benjamin Evans. It has a glazed belvedere, bracketed roof cornice, and three porches.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an architecturally significant example of the pattern-book Italian Villa style, with complete integrity of its original design and an unspoiled rural setting. It is also tied to Benjamin Evans, a locally prominent citizen in Nescopeck's commercial and political affairs. The house is described as a rare survivor of a style seldom built in Luzerne County.","narrative":"Built about 1855 in the Italian Villa style, this two-story frame house in rural Nescopeck, Luzerne County, combines two offset rectangular blocks topped by a glazed belvedere. Its bold bracketed roof cornice, which projects 28 inches, and three Italianate porches give it a picturesque profile. The house was built for Benjamin Evans, a prominent local citizen who served as justice of the peace and was active in commercial and political affairs, and he lived there until his death in 1902. The nomination regards it as a rare survivor of a style seldom built in Luzerne County, and it stresses the original interior arrangement, in which the belvedere opens onto the stairwell to provide natural ventilation. The house sits in a valley setting that has changed little since the 1850s. Deterioration after 1920 led to the loss of the porches and to asphalt siding, but restoration between 1968 and 1982 returned the exterior to its original design. Its integrity is the basis for its significance.","period_of_significance":"C. 1855","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italian Villa","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Restored between 1968 and 1982 using original materials; porches were reproduced from surviving parts.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.919329-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/83002260.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002260/eedce1cff6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002260/eedce1cff6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BENJAMIN_EVANS_HOUSE,_NESCOPECK,_LUZERNE_COUNTY,_PA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BENJAMIN_EVANS_HOUSE,_NESCOPECK,_LUZERNE_COUNTY,_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996681","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Evans_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4888520"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/luzerne-county/evans-benjamin-house-83002260/"}