Jewett, Frank, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1884, this two-story brick house on South Professor Street in Oberlin, Ohio, reflects the shift from Italianate forms to the Queen Anne style. It has tall, narrow windows with segmental brick arches, restrained wood trim, and brackets at the eaves. The larger front porch was added in 1891 and shows stick-style construction. Inside, a spacious entrance hall leads to front and rear parlors and a dining room, with a stained glass window at the stair landing and finely crafted woodwork. The house is mainly noted for Frank Fanning Jewett, who came to Oberlin College in 1884 to teach chemistry after training at Yale, Harvard and in Germany. He bought the unfinished house that year, completed it, and lived there until his death in 1926. His home often hosted student gatherings, and his students included Charles M. Hall, discoverer of the electrolytic aluminum process. The house remains well preserved with few alterations.
Significance in brief: The house is significant for its association with Frank Fanning Jewett, a distinguished Oberlin College chemistry professor who lived there for over forty years. Among his students was Charles M. Hall, who discovered the electrolytic process for making aluminum. The house also survives in a good state of preservation with few alterations.
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 79001887, listed July 24, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 73 S. Professor St., Oberlin |
|---|---|
| County | Lorain County |
| Listed | July 24, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001887 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1884 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Transition from Italianate forms to the Queen Anne style, with a stick-style front porch |
| Areas of significance | Education, Science |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition with few alterations; owned by a local historical organization and listed as occupied and used as a museum. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Downtown Oberlin Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.29000, -82.21944 (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 79001887.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138515014
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.