Gilbert, Jane, House
Why it's listed
Two separate houses on West Main Street in Madison, Ohio, were moved together and joined into a single building in 1920. The result is a two-story, wood-frame structure with clapboard siding, a gable-and-deck roof with shingles, a stone foundation and an irregular rectangular plan. The west wing is said to date from 1839, and the east wing is said to be older. The conversion was made to create a boarding house for Mrs. Gilbert. Before that, the individual houses had served as homes for several doctors, a pharmacy and a coffin factory. Since 1920 the building has been the home of a judge, a newspaper editor and a builder. Inside, original random flooring survives, along with some log joist floors covered by later flooring and some original hardware. The frieze and porch keep nineteenth-century features. The building is now used as apartments. A garage stands at the rear of the lot, near a brook. Its listing rests largely on the unusual moving and joining of the two houses.
Significance in brief: The inventory form says the moving and alteration of the structure make up a large part of its significance. The two houses were joined in 1920 to create a boarding house for Mrs. Gilbert. The earlier houses were also associated with several doctors, a pharmacy and a coffin factory, and later with a judge, a newspaper editor and a builder.
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 80003118, listed October 20, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 189-195 W. Main St., Madison |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | October 20, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003118 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as apartments; interior and exterior condition both listed as excellent. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.77097, -81.05155 (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 80003118.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138447282
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.