Lockwood, J. C., House
Why it's listed
This two-story, L-shaped brick house at 30 Edison Drive in Milan, Ohio, was built in 1851-1852 for James C. Lockwood on the site of an earlier house built by his father-in-law. It has a sandstone foundation, sills and lintels, and an entrance with sidelights and an elliptical fan transom. A later remodeling added a mansard roof with variegated slates, a full third story, a wooden veranda, a round-arched second-story porch and a square belvedere tower with iron cresting. The nomination first dated this work to 1880, but an 1874 atlas illustration shows the house already complete in its present form. Lockwood was a merchant, canal company director, banker and financier of shipbuilding in Milan, once a prosperous grain-shipping port. The house is valued for its link to him and as an example of changing nineteenth-century taste. A regional architectural survey calls it one of the most pretentious Victorian houses in the Western Reserve.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to Lockwood, a leading figure in Milan's commercial history during its years as a busy grain-shipping canal port. It also documents the shift in nineteenth-century taste between 1850 and 1880 and is cited as an excellent example of architectural transformation. Its arcaded second-story porch is described as unusual for the period.
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 74001469, listed December 4, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 30 Edison Dr., Milan |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | December 4, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001469 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific dates 1852; 1880) |
| Architectural style | Victorian (mansard-roofed remodeling of an 1851-1852 house) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a private residence in good condition, altered, on its original site, with preservation work in progress. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.30123, -82.60427 (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 74001469.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137769143
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.