{"nrhp_refnum":"85001567","name":"Byerly House","other_names":["Best House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"115 Menk Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Kensington","county":"Westmoreland County","state":"PA","lat":40.553974596000046,"lon":-79.68335457699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-07-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, five-bay red brick house on Menk Road in a hilly section of Upper Burrell Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on about 2½ acres. Its main section dates to 1842 and is joined to an earlier one-story rear ell that probably dates to the 1830s.","why_significant":"The house is described as the only intact brick house from the first half of the 19th century in Upper Burrell Township, and it retains an unusual degree of exterior and interior architectural integrity. Its vernacular design combines Post-Colonial elements in the rear ell with Greek Revival elements in the main section, and the original woodwork and interior details are largely intact.","narrative":"Built in brick in 1842 on Menk Road in Upper Burrell Township, the Byerly House joins its main two-story section to an earlier one-story rear ell that probably dates to the 1830s. The house sits on a sloping lot, with its front foundation exposed, and its five-bay front uses Flemish bond while the other walls use common bond. Its central hall plan, transomed and sidelighted front door, and fluted bull's-eye woodwork show Greek Revival influence, although the house has no cornice or portico. The rear ell has back-to-back fireplaces, a large cooking hearth, and unhewn rafters and joists with bark still on them, features more typical of early log or stone buildings. The land was part of a 221-acre tract patented in 1788 to Joseph Byerly, son of an early settler. The house is regarded as unusual in the township because so much of its original interior woodwork survives in both sections, including the staircase, mantels, and built-in cupboards.","period_of_significance":"1830s-1842","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular with Post-Colonial and Greek Revival elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered in places, with original window sash replaced in the 1960s and the roof changed to asphalt shingles; the document does not state 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 17:11:34.304782-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85001567.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001567/c23e8375e4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001567/c23e8375e4-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byerly_House_from_the_road.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byerly_House_from_the_road.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996724","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byerly_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5004059"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/westmoreland-county/byerly-house-85001567/"}