Seip House
Also known as: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, District Five Headquar
Why it's listed
Built between 1895 and 1898 at 345 Allen Avenue in Chillicothe, this 2 1/2-story brick house is a richly detailed Queen Anne residence. Its exterior features a red slate roof with metal cresting, pedimented dormers, round and polygonal bays, contrasting sandstone trim, stained glass and a stone-based front veranda. Inside, quarter-sawn oak woodwork, parquet floors with a different inlay in each main downstairs room, a carved main stairway and sliding interior window shutters survive despite some alterations for office use. Butcher Charles Seip, a German immigrant, had the house built near the age of 80; his son John, an amateur archaeologist, pushed for enlargements that stretched construction over three years and pushed the cost above $40,000. John later gave land containing Seip Mound and his artifact collection to the Ohio Historical Society. The Seip children lived here until 1952, and the State of Ohio then acquired the house for its District Five offices. It is considered among the best preserved of Chillicothe's grand Queen Anne homes.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent and well-preserved example of Queen Anne architecture, one of the grandest of its kind in Chillicothe. It is also significant for its association with the Seip family, including butcher Charles Seip, who had it built, and his son John, an amateur archaeologist who donated land containing Seip Mound to the Ohio Historical Society.
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 81000450, listed May 12, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 345 Allen Ave., Chillicothe |
|---|---|
| County | Ross County |
| Listed | May 12, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000450 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | John Cook, builder |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; used as offices by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (District Five Headquarters) since 1953. Condition excellent, unaltered exterior on original site, with some interior modifications for offices. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.34174, -82.99342 (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 81000450.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7446876
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.