Smead House
Why it's listed
Built in 1875, this house at 187 Mentor Avenue in Painesville is an elaborate wooden residence in the Stick Style. Its core is a square box on a stone foundation, clad in clapboard, with a bracketed skirt roof and a mansard roof covered in octagonal shingles and topped by four chimneys. Square bays flank a projecting central portico of jig-sawn columns, capped by a pediment, with a tunnel-like feature above that carries stickwork and a wooden pinnacle. Inside, a curved hallway leads to a curving staircase with lathe-turned balusters, lit by a large skylight, and parlors with plaster ceiling rosettes flank the stair. The rear has been modified and extended. The house is considered significant as one of Mentor's few extravagant Stick Style examples and one of only a few such buildings left in Lake County. The style drew on Swiss Chalet and Gothic forms and flourished between 1851 and 1876.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as one of Mentor's few extravagant examples of the Stick Style and one of only a few remaining Stick Style buildings in Lake County. It is described as a fine example of 19th century construction style, a style that flourished between 1851 and the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.
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 74001544, listed November 21, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 187 Mentor Ave., Painesville |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | November 21, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001544 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1875) |
| Architectural style | Stick Style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as altered, with modifications and additions at the rear; the form's status section marks it occupied and in use as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Mentor Avenue District |
| Coordinates | 41.72089, -81.25012 (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 74001544.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138451699
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.