{"nrhp_refnum":"84003253","name":"Fox Chase Inn","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"613 Swedesford Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Whiteland","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.03832452300003,"lon":-75.61443566399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former tavern and farmhouse on Swedesford Road (Conestoga Road) in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, with a surrounding farm complex including a 1823 barn. The core is a two-story stone Penn Plan house believed to date from about 1765, later modified with a double-door Georgian facade.","why_significant":"The inn is argued to be significant as one of the few examples of the Penn Plan in West Whiteland Township and as an illustration of how the original plan was altered to make the house more modern over its lifetime. Its history as the township's first licensed public house, and its status as the township's best example of the double-door Georgian treatment, are also cited.","narrative":"Built about 1765 as a two-story stone house on the Penn Plan, a double-pile layout common in 18th-century Philadelphia and its surroundings, the farmhouse stands on Swedesford Road in West Whiteland Township. Its first owner, John Quinn, a weaver, received the township's first tavern license in 1786, and the house operated as the Fox Chase Inn until his death in 1793. Later, a wing was added and the roof raised to two stories, and in the 19th century the facade was given two balanced entrances, a treatment known as double-door Georgian. The 4 1/4-acre parcel remained a small farm, and the complex was arranged in a linear layout within those bounds. The property was listed for its architectural value as an example of the Penn Plan and its alterations, and for its place in the township's early tavern and farming history.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Penn Plan; Double Door Georgian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Residence-farm in present use according to the survey form; the outbuildings and barn are described as part of the complex.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.032061-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/84003253.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003253/b9ec82002c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003253/b9ec82002c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fox_Chase_Inn_Chesco_PA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fox_Chase_Inn_Chesco_PA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992644","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Chase_Inn","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5476639"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/fox-chase-inn-84003253/"}