Starr-Truscott House
Why it's listed
Built around 1820 on the Milan-Elyria Road in Birmingham, Ohio, this wood-frame Greek Revival house has a three-bay facade, a corner side-lighted entrance, a blank pediment, corner boards and a continuous entablature. Construction is post and beam, with tulip poplar floors, lath and siding, black walnut interior woodwork, three original fireplaces and a squared sandstone foundation. A rear wing added a woodshed, utility and pantry rooms and a second-floor meeting room, and the east porch was enlarged, but the exterior remains close to the original. The house is tied to Perez Hiram Starr, a Connecticut-born millwright who came to Huron in 1810, built the first grist mill in the Firelands, and put up a mill on the Vermilion River in Birmingham in 1817. No record names the builder, though the design suggests local builders using a pattern book. Its continuous ownership by six generations of the Starr family and its elegant design make it a landmark of local and regional importance.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent example of Greek Revival style. It is tied to the early settlement and development of the Firelands. It is also unusual because six generations of one family have lived in it, which makes it a landmark of local and regional importance.
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 78002056, listed April 20, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | OH 133, Birmingham |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | April 20, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002056 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1820 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition, privately owned and occupied as a private residence. The original portion's interior is largely unaltered and has been partly restored. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.33126, -82.35537 (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 78002056.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137768901
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.