Zimmerman, Ezekiel B., Octagon House
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Why it's listed
Near Marshallville in Wayne County, Ohio, a red brick house with eight sides stands along State Route 57. Completed in 1883, it has two and a half stories, a cupola, and walls three bricks thick, built from more than 99,000 bricks made on the property. Each side measures 17.5 feet. A wooden porch with Eastlake brackets and incised ornament wraps four sides, and the standing-seam red tin roof has four gables. Inside, rooms radiate around a central stairwell with a spiral stair, a plan based on one in Orson Fowler's A Home for All. Ezekiel B. Zimmerman, a progressive farmer, township trustee and school director, is believed to have planned it with a local carpenter. The house was listed because it is a rare, late example of the Octagon mode, built almost twenty years after the style's peak and combined with Eastlake detail. It had central heating by 1896 and stayed in the Zimmerman family until 1973.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a rare and unusual variant of the Octagon mode, built almost twenty years after the fashion peaked. Its four steep gables and Eastlake ornament make it seem virtually unique. It is also tied to Zimmerman, an enterprising, well-educated progressive farmer and local official who apparently designed it himself.
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 75001553, listed May 28, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Marshallville on OH 57, Marshallville |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | May 28, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001553 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1883) |
| Architect / builder | Ezekiel B. Zimmerman, builder, who apparently designed it himself, possibly with a local carpenter |
| Architectural style | Octagon mode with Eastlake ornamental detail |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Private residence, in good condition, with restoration under way by the owners at the time of nomination (1974-75). |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.92271, -81.76302 (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 75001553.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5423131
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.