Gharky, George H., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1854 at 638 Fourth Street in Portsmouth, Ohio, this brick house was constructed for George H. Gharky, a canal boat builder and captain, steamboat captain, wharf master, canal collector, and later city auditor and treasurer. It is a two-and-a-half-story enlarged half-I house with a gable roof, a three-bay front, a sidehall entrance with transom and three-quarter sidelights, and a large rear wing. Detailing is simple, with a boxed cornice and frieze and plain stone lintels and sills. A wood Colonial Revival porch was added after 1911 without compromising the building's character. The house reflects the type of home built by Portsmouth's earliest commission merchants, manufacturers and bankers, and belongs to a group of similar brick houses in the city's oldest district, the Boneyfiddle area. The Gharky family held it until 1901, and banker P. S. Iams also lived there in the late 19th century.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a representative example of Portsmouth's mid-19th century development and of the homes built by early commission merchants, manufacturers and bankers. It is one of a group of similar half-I type brick houses in the oldest part of the city. It retains integrity as an example of the transitional Greek Revival-Italianate style of the 1850s.
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 87002078, listed December 8, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 638 Fourth St., Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| County | Scioto County |
| Listed | December 8, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87002078 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Transitional Greek Revival/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Exterior condition is listed as good; present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.73292, -82.99892 (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 87002078.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138672300
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.