East Second Street District(Boundary Increase)
Also known as: See Also:East Second Street District
Why it's listed
East Second Street in Xenia contains a 4.3-acre group of nineteenth century houses near the center of town. The buildings include Italianate, Eastlake and Queen Anne designs, mostly of brick or wood frame, with details such as bracketed cornices, decorated porches and corbelled chimneys. The Hivling house, built about 1863 by Abraham Hivling, son of an early Xenia settler, is a large Italianate residence later owned by the poet and state senator Coates Kinney. Next door, the Allen house was built in 1881 by banker John B. Allen and is considered one of the finest Eastlake houses in Ohio. The King house, a Queen Anne built about 1885, belonged to a banker and powder manufacturer and later housed the Greene County Historical Society. The remaining houses are less distinguished but support the character of the street. The nomination notes that the surrounding neighborhood is deteriorating and shifting toward institutional and multi-family use.
Significance in brief: The district is described as architecturally significant for its well-preserved residential buildings that represent their time and locale. Three houses (Hivling, Allen and King) also carry notable local history. The Allen house is called one of the finest Eastlake examples in Ohio.
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 79001847, listed September 10, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 184-271 E. 2nd St, Xenia |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | September 10, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001847 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Hivling house built c. 1863 by Abraham Hivling, believed designed by Hiram Brown |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Eastlake and Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as a quiet residential street in a deteriorating neighborhood that is changing from residential to institutional and multiple residences; most buildings are occupied. |
| Acreage | 2.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.68445, -83.92510 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 79001847.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.