Malabar Farm
Also known as: Louis Bromfield's Malabar Farm
Why it's listed
Malabar Farm is a working farm district of roughly 580 acres in Monroe Township, Richland County, Ohio, near Lucas. Author Louis Bromfield, who had lived in France for much of his literary career, returned to Ohio in 1938 and bought three run-down farms the next year. He combined them into Malabar Farm to show that eroded land could be reclaimed and made to produce food. The property includes his large 1939-40 house, built around an older residence and combining elements of several Ohio architectural styles, along with a main barn, milking parlor, silos and other outbuildings. Tenant houses, secondary barns and the 19th-century Malabar Inn, a summer restaurant, stand elsewhere on the grounds. Fields still show contour farming and water-control work from Bromfield's time. He used contour plowing, green manure, lime, grass silage and farm ponds, and his farm drew thousands of visitors and wide publicity. It was listed for its significance in agriculture, conservation and science.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Bromfield deliberately built Malabar Farm to show that badly eroded land could be restored to productivity. He used techniques such as contour plowing, green manure, lime, balanced fertilizers, grass silage and farm ponds. The farm drew thousands of visitors, mostly ordinary farmers, and appeared in national farm publications and Bromfield's books. It is unusual because a private individual created it so that farmers and others could learn from his successes and failures.
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 73001520, listed April 11, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Lucas on Pleasant Valley Rd., Lucas |
|---|---|
| County | Richland County |
| Listed | April 11, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001520 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1939-56 |
| Architectural style | Main house designed to embody elements of several architectural styles found in Ohio |
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Education, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | State-owned and in good condition; the main house is in excellent condition and holds most of Bromfield's possessions, with a caretaker and curator in residence. Malabar Inn is used as a restaurant in summer, and the farm is open to the public. |
| Acreage | 580.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.64955, -82.39047 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 73001520.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6740737
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.