Harmon, Francis E., House
Why it's listed
This two-story brick house on East Prospect Road in Ashtabula began as a rectangular late Adam or Greek Revival building with a five-bay facade, shallow gabled roof, and an entrance with sidelights. Later changes added Italian Villa features, including a shallow three-bay round-arched wooden porch, bracketed eaves, and arched sidelights, plus a small central gable with an octagonal window. An L-shaped wing and a frame addition extend from the rear, and the interior was remodeled into four apartments. The land belonged to Edwin Harmon, a farmer, trader, and shipper who died in 1863, after which the portion holding this house passed to his son Francis E. Harmon. Whether Francis built the house after 1863 or part of it dates to a traditional but undocumented 1832 is unresolved. The house was listed because of its design, an unusually refined local version of the Italian Villa style that reflects the Harmon family's taste.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an unusually sophisticated variant of the Italian Villa style. It is architecturally significant in its own right and reflects the taste attributed to the Harmon family, who owned the land. Its construction date is undocumented and subject to conjecture.
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 75001312, listed February 24, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1641 E. Prospect Rd., Ashtabula |
|---|---|
| County | Ashtabula County |
| Listed | February 24, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001312 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa (Tuscan), added to a late Adam or Greek Revival form |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and altered, on its original site; the interior was remodeled into four apartments and the form lists a private residence use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.87443, -80.77530 (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 75001312.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137597551
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.