{"nrhp_refnum":"85001390","name":"Bishop, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Perkiomen Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.300721844000066,"lon":-75.84848141299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-06-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The John Bishop House is a two and one-half story stone block dwelling with a later east wing, located along Philadelphia Pike (route 422) where it crosses Antietam Creek in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The main structure is dated by the nomination to the mid-18th century, though no exact construction date or builder is known.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an intact example of colonial Georgian architecture in the Palladian style, with an unusually well-preserved interior including a panelled front parlor and fan-lighted entrance. It also links the house to John Bishop, an early Berks County figure involved in local militia support, the state legislature, and his management of Hopewell Furnace. The architectural comparisons to Philadelphia and Germantown buildings are offered as further support.","narrative":"Built of stone in the mid-18th century beside Antietam Creek in Exeter Township, the John Bishop House is a two and one-half story Georgian dwelling with a three-bay cut-stone south facade. Its interior is noted for a panelled front parlor with flanking cupboards, a Troy dado, and marble-sheathed fireplace, along with an open scissor staircase rising three stories. John Bishop acquired the nearby gristmill and surrounding acreage in 1769, and he later managed Hopewell Furnace and held property in Berks County and Virginia. He also helped fund local militia during the Revolution and served in the General Assembly from 1781 to 1784. The house is regarded as closely related to Philadelphia and Germantown residences, particularly Cliveden, in its detailing and proportion. Its woodwork and stair are the main reasons it is considered architecturally important.","period_of_significance":"c. 1769-1800","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Palladian Georgian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The property is described as altered, with a later east wing and enclosed porch, and the adjoining golf course surrounds it; the form does not state its current use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.996051-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85001390.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001390/1b4ac5db71-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001390/1b4ac5db71-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Bishop_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Bishop_House.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100002521","name":"Reading Country Club","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/reading-country-club-100002521/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997922","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bishop_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6222007"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/bishop-john-house-85001390/"}