Gregory House
Why it's listed
Standing at the main crossroads of New London, Ohio, the Gregory House is a three-story, flat-roofed commercial building of soft red brick with sandstone keystones, lintels and coping. Built in 1873 in the village's "burned district," where an 1872 fire destroyed an earlier block, it replaced a log and frame hotel on the same site. Charles Gregory, a local blacksmith, built the western two-thirds; lawyer Albert Porter built the eastern third. A. A. Powers, the town's first marshal, unified the facade with elaborate brickwork. Local stone, brick and labor were used throughout. The building served as a hotel until 1900, then held boarders' apartments upstairs and shops below, including a post office, grocery, restaurant and bowling alley. It was listed as a representative example of a vernacular commercial building that reflects the nineteenth-century character of New London and the Firelands region of Ohio's Western Reserve.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a representative vernacular commercial structure of the type built in crossroads towns across 19th-century rural Ohio. Built of local materials by local people, it documents the commercial development of New London and the Firelands region. It was erected in the village's "burned district" after an 1872 fire and served as a hotel until 1900.
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 84003746, listed February 24, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1 E. Main St., New London |
|---|---|
| County | Huron County |
| Listed | February 24, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003746 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Albert A. Powers |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The ground-floor storefronts have been reconstructed and the original cast iron columns restored; the form states that the owner plans a complete rehabilitation. Status is marked both unoccupied and commercial. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.08503, -82.39804 (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 84003746.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5606972
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.