{"nrhp_refnum":"90000697","name":"Risley, Dr. Samuel D., House","other_names":["Gifford,Elton, B.,House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"430 N. Monroe St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Media","county":"Delaware County","state":"PA","lat":39.92218457400003,"lon":-75.38678201199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-04-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half storey gray granite house on the southwest corner of 5th and Monroe Streets in a residential neighborhood of Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1877 and was occupied by the spring of 1878 for Elton B. Gifford.","why_significant":"The house is described as a strikingly impressive eclectic design combining several 19th-century picturesque styles, including Gothic Revival, Rundbogen, and Swiss Chalet elements. It is regarded as one of the landmark residential structures in Media and as a representative example of the period when Media was a country spa town for well-to-do Philadelphians. Its use of local Springfield granite is said to link Delaware County building traditions with broader stylistic currents.","narrative":"Built of dressed granite from a Springfield Township quarry, this two-and-a-half storey house on the corner of 5th and Monroe Streets in Media was completed in 1877 and occupied by the spring of 1878. Its plan of projecting blocks set at varied angles around a central hall gives it the broken outline of a medieval manor, while rounded arches, a verandah with wooden arches and twisted wire trellises, and wide eaves with cross-bracing draw on Rundbogen, Gothic Revival and Swiss Chalet forms. Interior features include an oculus window of cobalt blue glass above the staircase, oak wainscoting, and several mantelpieces in marble and wood. The house was built for Elton B. Gifford, a Philadelphia dry goods executive, and was later owned by physician Dr. Samuel D. Risley, whose name became attached to it locally. Its design is regarded as one of the finest residences in the area, and it has been converted into apartments while retaining most of its historic character.","period_of_significance":"1877-1878","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Gothic; eclectic combining Gothic Revival, Rundbogen, and Swiss Chalet Style elements","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Converted to apartments; one apartment on the first floor and two each on the second and third floors","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.652307-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/90000697.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000697/ab8dbf6414-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000697/ab8dbf6414-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"User:Smallbones on English Wikipedia.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RisleyFrontMediaPA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Smallbones on English Wikipedia.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RisleyFrontMediaPA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996472","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Samuel_D._Risley_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5304366"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/delaware-county/risley-dr-samuel-d-house-90000697/"}