Sessions House
Also known as: Tuscan House
Why it's listed
Built around 1870 at 157 Mentor Avenue in Painesville, this large brick house was first owned by Lucia Sessions and is also known as the Tuscan House. It has a T-shaped plan, a central projecting bay with a splayed doorway under a semicircular stone arch, a Palladian-like second-floor window, a hipped roof, and a bracketed cornice with coffered soffit. Inside, the original twelve rooms were arranged in double-parlor fashion around a central hall, but the plan has since been altered for individual apartments, and a 1945 remodeling encased the fireplaces. Little is known of its history, and its designer is uncertain, though Charles Wallace Heard has been suggested without firm evidence. The house was listed because it is considered the most outstanding masonry example of the late Italianate style in Lake County, combining cast iron, jig-sawn woodwork and colorful detailing typical of post-Civil War romantic architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the most outstanding masonry example of the late Italianate style in Lake County. Cast iron, jig-sawn woodwork and coloristic motifs mark it as one of Painesville's best examples of post-Civil War romantic architecture. Its designer is unknown, though Charles Wallace Heard has been conjecturally suggested.
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 73001490, listed August 14, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 157 Mentor Ave., Painesville |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | August 14, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001490 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (built c. 1870) |
| Architect / builder | Charles Wallace Heard (conjectural attribution only; no concrete evidence) |
| Architectural style | Late Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as an apartment house; condition listed as good and altered, with the interior remodeled for apartments and the original fireplaces encased in 1945. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.71261, -81.24841 (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 73001490.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7456162
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.