Rubicon Farm
Also known as: Patterson Memorial Center
Why it's listed
Rubicon Farm is a brick farmhouse at 1815 Brown Street in Dayton, built in 1816 for Col. Robert Patterson, a frontier fighter who bought the farm and mill from Daniel C. Cooper in 1804. The house sits on a coursed stone foundation and has a recessed two-story porch with Doric pillars and a balustraded deck, giving it an L-shaped plan. The north facade is laid in Flemish bond and has a heavily moulded Victorian entrance porch. A kitchen wing and a one-story lecture hall were added later. The property is significant for its architecture, a southern-influenced Federal farmhouse type found in southwestern Ohio, and for its family associations. Patterson's descendant John H. Patterson founded the National Cash Register Corporation. Jefferson Patterson donated the property to the City of Dayton in 1953 for civic, cultural and educational use. It now operates as a museum showing the life of a prosperous pioneer settler in the Great Miami Valley, on a nine-acre site.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an especially fine example of southwest Ohio architecture, a Federal-type farmhouse influenced by southern culture. It is also tied to Col. Robert Patterson, an early frontiersman and settler, and to his descendant John H. Patterson, founder of National Cash Register Corporation.
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 76001500, listed September 29, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1815 Brown St., Dayton |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | September 29, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001500 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1816 |
| Architect / builder | Robert Patterson |
| Architectural style | Federal with Italianate elements |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and used as a museum, owned by the City of Dayton and managed by a board of trustees; interior restored in 1939 and revised in 1966. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 39.73467, -84.18225 (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 76001500.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7148445
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.