Christman, Philip, House
Also known as: Uhlrich Beidler House
Why it's listed
Built into a bank in Bally, Berks County, the Philip Christman House is a 2½ story stone house whose right front gable is set into the slope, the only access to its upper floor. Its construction is dated to between 1730 and 1750 and reflects regional Germanic building practice, in the Swiss Bank tradition. The lower floor is a vaulted cellar, cooled by a stream channelled through a stone trough, which the nomination associates with storing fruit and farm produce. The kitchen above has a large walk-in fireplace, and the upper formal room has beaded boarding and exposed beams. The property also holds a barn, a smoke house with a beehive oven, and a later stone house from the nineteenth century, showing the growth of a farmstead into a family agricultural complex. A Fractur inscription on the porch, reading Philip Christman and Madelena Christman 1810, is noted as evidence of the household's standing within southeastern Pennsylvania folklife.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is significant for its agricultural setting, as a fruit-growing section, shown in the vaulted cellar used for storing produce and cooled by a diverted stream. It also argues the group of buildings illustrates the development from a primitive farmstead to a family agricultural complex, and that the older house is architecturally notable for its vaulted cellar, beaded floorboards and fireplaces, along with a dated Fractur inscription.
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 73001588, listed March 7, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 mi. SE of Bally at the Berks, Bally |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | March 7, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001588 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1730-1750 |
| Architectural style | Germanic regional architecture, Swiss Bank tradition |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Original site; fair condition; unaltered per the form |
| Acreage | 65 |
| Coordinates | 40.40001, -75.57003 (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 73001588.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7183352
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.