{"nrhp_refnum":"85003410","name":"Ruan, John, House","other_names":["Grand Army Republic Memorial Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4278--4280 Griscom St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.01001267100003,"lon":-75.09077319699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and a half story late Georgian brick dwelling at 4278 Griscom Street in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, built in 1796 and sited near the old center of Frankford.","why_significant":"The house is regarded as a rare surviving 18th-century Georgian mansion in Philadelphia and the only house of its age and size left in Frankford. It was the home and medical practice of Dr. John Ruan, a community leader, and later of other prominent Frankford residents. Its size is unusual for its time and place, and its interior and exterior retain the classic Georgian plan and detailing.","narrative":"Built in 1796 on Griscom Street in Frankford, this two and a half story brick house was raised by Dr. John Ruan, a physician who had trained at the University of Edinburgh and practiced from the house for about fifteen years. Its hand-pressed red brick walls, laid in common bond, form a symmetrical five-bay front with a denticulated cornice, punch and gouge carving, and a center hall plan with a curving staircase. Its size, about 40 by 35 feet, was large for a small market and industrial town at the time. Ruan served on the first board of the Frankford and Bristol Turnpike Road Company and as a trustee of the Frankford Academy, and was elected Chief Burgess in 1806. Later residents included Dr. Samuel Pickering and the machine shop owner Samuel Brooke. Few other large pre-1800 houses survive in Frankford, which is why the house is valued as a rare local example of its type.","period_of_significance":"1796","architect_builder":"Dr. John Ruan (builder)","architectural_style":"Late Georgian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Currently occupied by a Civil War museum, with plans to restore the house to its 18th century condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.471493-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85003410.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003410/6d633bf035-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003410/6d633bf035-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruan_House_A_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruan_House_A_Philly.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997398","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruan_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6255885"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/ruan-john-house-85003410/"}