Merryman, Dr. James, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1879 at 5232 Norwich Street in Hilliard, Ohio, this two-story brick farmhouse follows a T-plan and carries modest Italianate touches, including bracketed wood porches with chamfered posts, tall thin windows and projecting two-story bays. It was built for Dr. James M. Merryman, who practiced in Norwich Township from 1872 to 1895, ran a drug store on Main Street and later served in the Ohio General Assembly. In a village of mostly frame cottages, the house was considered a grand residence. Only about half a dozen Hilliard homes were built of brick, and this is the oldest and largest; no other brick T-plan house stands in Old Hilliard. The interior plan is intact, with a curving staircase of alternating cherry and oak wainscoting and original plaster walls. The replaced front porch does not diminish its value as a representative example of its building type and period in the town's early railroad and farming community.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an important example of a prominent late 19th-century building type and style, meeting criterion C for architecture. It is the only brick T-plan residence in the original town of Hilliard, and the oldest and largest of about half a dozen brick homes there. It also retains a high degree of integrity in its form, materials and detailing.
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 88000638, listed May 26, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5232 Norwich St., Hilliard |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | May 26, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000638 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1879 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate; Other: T-plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single dwelling; the original front porch was removed in the 1930s and recently replaced, and the brick was sandblasted in the late 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.03353, -83.15652 (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 88000638.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q54958227
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.