{"nrhp_refnum":"84003333","name":"Zook House (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Zook House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 Exton Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Exton","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.030429508000054,"lon":-75.62503160299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-08-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stone additive farmhouse in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, at Exton, incorporated into the Exton Square shopping complex. Its center section is dated to about 1750, with an east service wing of about 1790 and a west end of 1820-30.","why_significant":"The nomination describes the house as an exceptional example of an additive dwelling from the Colonial period. It is associated with the Zook family, who occupied it for five generations, and with the later restoration that saved it during construction of Exton Square. The boundary increase added open land as a green buffer around the house.","narrative":"Stone farmhouse at Exton in West Whiteland Township, built in several stages. The center section dates to about 1750 and is attributed in the record to William Owen, whose wife Elizabeth's markings appear on the date stone beside the front door. A service wing followed around 1790, and a west end was added between 1820 and 1830. The house has two stories throughout, back-to-back corner fireplaces, arched vaults supporting the fireplaces, and a cellar with a cooking fireplace and beehive oven. The Zook family, who changed their name from Zug, farmed the land and operated a lime kiln and quarry on the property. Jacob M. Zook served as postmaster of Exton in 1864 and later as a county commissioner. The house is regarded as an exceptional example of Colonial additive dwelling construction. Its boundary was enlarged to include open land forming a green buffer around it.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial Additive","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored during development of Exton Square Mall; now part of the shopping complex grounds.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.266692-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/84003333.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992540","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/zook-house-boundary-increase-84003333/"}