Bristol House
Why it's listed
Built between 1870 and 1875 at 1950 Lake Avenue in Lima, this two-story frame house is a well-preserved example of Italianate residential design. It has cubic massing, a low hipped roof with broad overhanging eaves, paired scroll brackets and two-over-two windows with molded lintels and louvered shutters. Its most striking feature is the front entrance canopy, carried on ornately carved brackets with bell-shaped pendants, decorated with Swiss chalet style scalloping and topped by a pierced balustrade. Painter Charles Bristol had the house built on part of land his father, William, owned, within a farm first established by his grandfather Miles Bristol before 1800. Charles lost the house in 1890, and Simon Hickey bought it in 1894; his daughters, both dressmakers, lived there until 1938. Of roughly 100 Italianate-inspired buildings in Lima, few survive intact, and this house is distinguished by its integrity and the quality of its entrance details.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as a distinctive example of Italianate domestic architecture in Lima. Although fairly typical of the style locally, it stands out for its high integrity of design, materials and workmanship and for its finely crafted canopied entrance hood with carved brackets and balustrade.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89001135, listed August 31, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1950 Lake Ave., Lima |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | August 31, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001135 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1870s |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good; the property remains in residential use, with a modern non-contributing garage behind the house. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.90307, -77.61214 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89001135.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4968932
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.