House at 203 Penn Road
Also known as: Hobart Welded Steel House
Why it's listed
Built in 1941 in Troy, Ohio, this two-story house at 203 Penn Road was made entirely of light-weight welded steel. The Hobart family's steel house company fabricated it in a factory on West Main Street and delivered it by truck to the Edgehill subdivision. William Hobart had it built as a wedding present for his daughter, Marcia Hobart Howell. The standard plan was a 21 by 30 foot rectangle, and no bolts were used in assembly. Its style is Georgian Revival with Moderne touches: smooth walls, a horizontal band between floors, frameless metal casement windows and rounded corners give a streamlined look. A gabled asphalt roof has replaced the original flat metal roof, and the front windows are replacements, but the steel walls are original. It is one of 21 surviving Hobart steel houses and one of 10 in Edgehill. It was listed for its place in the Hobarts' prefabricated housing venture and for its unusual construction.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criteria A and C and Exception G as one of the Hobart family's prefabricated welded steel houses, a venture that began in the early 1930s. It shows traditional styles reworked in a non-traditional material to give a thoroughly modern look. Although less than 50 years old at listing, it is justified as a continuation of the Hobarts' steel housing venture.
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 89000422, listed May 25, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 203 Penn Rd., Troy |
|---|---|
| County | Miami County |
| Listed | May 25, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000422 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1941 |
| Architect / builder | Hobart Welded Steel House Co (designed and built by the Hobart brothers) |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival with Moderne detailing |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Interior and exterior are in excellent condition; the house is still used as a single family dwelling. The roof and front windows have been replaced. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.04274, -84.21554 (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 89000422.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138589664
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.