Day, Erastus, House
Why it's listed
This frame house at 16807 Hilliard Road in Lakewood, Ohio, combines Italianate and Carpenter Gothic details. It has two gabled rectangular blocks, steep slate roofs, jigsawed gable ornament with quatrefoils, and segmental-arched openings with sawtoothed arches. A polygonal bay and a three-bay bracketed porch mark the east side. Inside, five rooms on the first floor and four on the second keep their original stairways, doors, woodwork and hardware; only the kitchen has been divided. The house was the home of Capt. Erastus Day (1831-1917), who began as a cook on a lake schooner at thirteen and later commanded several ships. He then ran ore docks in Cleveland and, from 1892, oversaw the long chain of ore docks at Conneaut. He devised hoisting and conveying machinery for ore handling and simplified the connections between rail lines and docks. He acquired the Lakewood property in 1874. It is the best remaining structure tied to him and a well-preserved mid-Victorian house.
Significance in brief: The house was the family home of Capt. Erastus Day, a Great Lakes ship captain who built and superintended the ore docks at Conneaut, Ohio. He developed hoisting and conveying machinery for handling ore that was used for many years. The house is also a well-preserved, nicely detailed example of mid-Victorian architecture and the best remaining structure associated with him.
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 79001812, listed May 8, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 16807 Hilliard Rd., Lakewood |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | May 8, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001812 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Italianate and Carpenter Gothic detailing; mid-Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and occupied; the only noted alteration is that the original kitchen was divided into two parts. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.47490, -81.81413 (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 79001812.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137723363
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.