{"nrhp_refnum":"91001414","name":"Tonkens, Gerald B. and Beverley, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6980 Knoll Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.19540495000007,"lon":-84.41498773099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-10-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story concrete block residence at 6980 Knoll Road in Amberley Village, a suburb north of Cincinnati, Ohio, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Gerald and Beverley Tonkens and completed in 1955 on a six-acre parcel.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a virtually unaltered example of Wright's \"Usonian Automatic\" system of house construction, using specially cast concrete blocks reinforced with steel. It was the design in which the system was considered fully perfected by 1954. It is also one of only nine Wright-designed houses in Ohio, and it meets the exception for properties less than 50 years old.","narrative":"Set on a six-acre hilltop lot in Amberley Village, north of Cincinnati, this L-shaped, one-story house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Gerald B. Tonkens and his family. Construction began after a 1954 commission and took 17 months. The walls, floors and ceiling are built of formed concrete blocks in 14 patterns, pierced by clerestory windows and combined with Philippine mahogany cabinetry and furniture designed for the house. Driveways, gates and the kitchen accents use Wright's signature Cherokee Red. The house is considered a leading example of Wright's Usonian Automatic system, which used cast blocks joined with steel rods and grout so that unskilled labor could build affordable homes. A Wright Archives statement describes it as the work in which the system was fully perfected. It remains almost entirely unaltered, with only fabrics replaced in 1987, and is one of nine Wright houses in Ohio.","period_of_significance":"1954","architect_builder":"Wright, Frank Lloyd","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Wrightian/Usonian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in perfect original condition, still a single-family dwelling, with only the fabrics replaced in 1987.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.213079-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/91001414.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001414/ad15501af9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001414/ad15501af9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"User:Jaydec","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerald_B._and_Beverley_Tonkens_House,_May_2011.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Jaydec</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerald_B._and_Beverley_Tonkens_House,_May_2011.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989007","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_B._and_Beverley_Tonkens_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5548912"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/tonkens-gerald-b-and-beverley-house-91001414/"}