Alexander, Dr. William S., House
Also known as: The Alexander House
Why it's listed
Built in 1869 by farmer John M. Shera, this two-story brick house at 22 N. College Avenue in Oxford, Ohio, is a five-bay I-house with transitional Greek Revival and Italianate details, including wooden cornices and brackets. Around 1880 an addition filled in the original ell and gained a two-story side porch with Doric columns, which the nomination calls unique in the city. Classical Revival porches followed about 1900. The house is also tied to medicine and civic life. Dr. Herschel Hinkley, a Miami University trustee, bought it in 1888 and sold it with his practice in 1895 to Dr. William S. Alexander. Alexander lived and practiced there until his death in 1917, served on the village council, and acted as physician to men at Miami University. The family converted the house into four apartments in 1954, with little exterior change. The house remains in good condition, while the rear carriage house is in poor shape.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to two prominent local physicians, Dr. Herschel Hinkley and Dr. William S. Alexander, who practiced from it and also served Miami University. Architecturally it is a well-preserved five-bay I-house with transitional Greek Revival/Italianate styling. Its two-story side portico, added around the turn of the century, is found nowhere else in Oxford.
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 86003498, listed March 18, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 22 N. College Ave., Oxford |
|---|---|
| County | Butler County |
| Listed | March 18, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003498 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1869; 1895-1917 |
| Architect / builder | Builder/architect listed as unknown; the house was built in 1869 by John M. Shera, a local farmer, using lumber and brick from his farm. |
| Architectural style | Transitional Greek Revival/Italianate (five-bay I-house), with Classical Revival porches |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | House in good condition and occupied as a private residence, divided into four apartments in 1954; the carriage house is in very poor condition and used for storage. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.51121, -84.74561 (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 86003498.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5304477
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.