Aullwood House and Garden
Why it's listed
Aullwood House and Garden is a 30-acre estate near Dayton, Ohio, made up of an early Craftsman house and a woodland shade garden. The house was built in the 1890s and bought in 1909 by John W. Aull as a weekend retreat. After he and his wife Marie Sturwold Aull moved in permanently in 1923, they added sitting rooms, screened porches and an attached garage with a pergola. Distinctive features include limestone and granite masonry, corner siding that overlaps in an unusual way, leaded-glass French doors with designs chosen by the family, and plaster ceiling molding of oak leaves, owls, bats and squirrels. Marie Aull designed the garden between 1923 and 1945 around Wiles Creek, with stone bridges, lawns, a pool, native wildflowers and a lilac garden. She donated the property to the park district in 1977. It was listed for its Arts and Crafts architecture and its landscape design, with a period of significance from the 1890s to 1948.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property qualifies under Criterion C as an important Arts and Crafts house set in an outstanding woodland garden. It cites distinctive details such as the overlapping corner siding, leaded-glass French doors and custom plaster molding. It also credits Marie Sturwold Aull as the self-taught designer of the garden and an advocate for environmental education and open space. No comparable rural estate is said to exist in the Dayton area.
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 99000092, listed February 5, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 900 Aullwood Rd., Dayton |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | February 5, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000092 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1890s-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Marie Aull, Landscape Designer |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman (Arts & Crafts) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Donated in 1977 to the Dayton-Montgomery County Park District (now Five Rivers Metroparks); the house and garden remain in domestic and garden use. A 1997 maintenance garage and a 1950s toolshed are noncontributing. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Coordinates | 39.86969, -84.27671 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
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 99000092.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4821785
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.