Street, John, House
Also known as: Durand House
Why it's listed
Built around 1835, this two-story brick house at 631 N. Ellsworth Avenue in Salem, Ohio, was the home of John Street, son of Zadock Street, who laid out the village in 1806. The L-shaped building has a cut stone foundation, six-over-six windows with stone lintels and sills, a central doorway with transom and sidelights, and carved wood brackets beneath the cornice of its gray slate gable roof. A bracketed wooden entrance porch and a one-car brick garage were added later. John Street opened Salem's first store in 1807, kept the first post office until 1828, and built a brick store in 1832. The Street family also ran the first tannery, served as directors of the first bank organized in Salem, and donated land for early roads and streets. The house served as an Underground Railroad station, and a basement under the rear wing and two hiding areas beneath the front portion remain. A stone-mounted bronze plate near the sidewalk records that activity.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the Street family, whose patriarch Zadock Street laid out Salem in 1806. John Street opened the village's first store and kept its first post office. The house was also a station on the Underground Railroad, with hiding areas beneath the front portion.
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 73001400, listed October 10, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 631 N. Ellsworth Ave., Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Columbiana County |
| Listed | October 10, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001400 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (ca. 1835) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition and altered, with a later porch and garage addition; used as a private residence and occupied. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.90478, -80.85703 (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 73001400.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6259422
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.