Elden House
Also known as: Bailey House
Why it's listed
Built around 1856 at 634 Fourth Street in Portsmouth, Ohio, this 2½-story brick house blends Greek Revival and Italianate styling. It sits gable-end to the street with a three-bay facade and a sidehall entry. The doorway has a recessed door, full transom, paneled doors and Doric pilasters, while slightly projecting eaves on carved brackets show Italianate influence. A wheel-patterned oculus window marks the gable, and the windows keep their 6/6 sash and simple stone lintels and sills. Inside, the original staircase, ceiling moldings and wood trim survive. The house was built for William Elden, a clothier, and later occupied by Charles D. Elden, a dry goods dealer, who lived there until 1890. The Kehoe family, who ran a general store and a baking company, added the wrap-around porch about 1910. The house is valued as a well-preserved example of a house type tied to the early architectural growth of Portsmouth's oldest neighborhood.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact example of a transitional Greek Revival-Italianate style. It represents the mid-19th-century architectural development of older Portsmouth and the three-bay, sidehall-entry house type built for the city's upper middle class merchants, manufacturers and bankers. It retains its architectural integrity.
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 87002076, listed December 8, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 634 Fourth St., Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| County | Scioto County |
| Listed | December 8, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87002076 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Transitional Greek Revival/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In residential use; interior and exterior condition reported as good, and the interior is well preserved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.73323, -83.00192 (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 87002076.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138672278
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.