Unzicker-Cook House
Why it's listed
Near Oxford in Butler County, Ohio, this trimmed fieldstone farmhouse grew in three sections, beginning around 1831. The oldest part has walls about 20 inches thick, a gable roof and a pent roof across the south front. Later sections use more carefully coursed stone. Inside, the original tulip poplar and ash floors and wood trim survive, and the roof framing includes sapling poles and mill-sawn timbers. Daniel Unzicker, a Mennonite farmer and preacher from Bavaria, bought eighty acres of school land here and later expanded to one hundred sixty. His son Peter, a stone mason, probably helped build the house and farm buildings. The site also includes a barn, a springhouse that was probably the first structure built, and a fieldstone smokehouse. The complex is valued for its practical planning: the house sits against a hillside, opens to the south and east for protection from winter winds, and uses local stone and a spring to serve the farm's needs.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the property as an unusual, well-preserved example of an early 19th-century rural farm complex in southwestern Ohio. It cites the rational site planning, which uses local stone, the sloping hillside and a spring. It also ties the property to Daniel Unzicker, a Bavarian-born Mennonite farmer and preacher who settled the land.
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 74001404, listed July 24, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2975 Oxford-Middletown Rd., Oxford |
|---|---|
| County | Butler County |
| Listed | July 24, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001404 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (ca. 1831) |
| Architect / builder | Daniel Unzicker (owner-builder); his son Peter, a stone mason, probably helped with construction |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and occupied as a private residence; the house has been restored with new heating, plumbing and wiring. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 39.53307, -84.65741 (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 74001404.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7897860
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.