Downing, Hunt, House (Boundary Decrease)
Also known as: Arrandale; See Also: West Whiteland Township MRA
Why it's listed
The Hunt Downing House is a house and barn on Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30) in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, near Exton. The property was found eligible for the National Register in 1984 but was not listed at that time because the owner objected. In 1987 the land was subdivided into two lots. Lot #1, which contained two non-contributing tenant houses, has since had those houses demolished and a brick office and warehouse building constructed on it. This boundary decrease removes Lot #1 and keeps Lot #2, measuring 5.76 acres. The retained boundary includes the main house, the barn and their immediate setting. The nomination treats Lot #1 as lacking significance and as having experienced new construction, which is why it was excluded. The resource is part of the West Whiteland Township Multiple Resource Area.
Significance in brief: The document states that the property was determined eligible for National Register listing in 1984 but was not listed because of owner objection. The boundary decrease removes Lot #1, which held two non-contributing tenant houses since demolished and a newly constructed office/warehouse building. The retained boundary encompasses the contributing main house and barn and their immediate setting.
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 90001343, listed September 7, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | 600 W. Lincoln Hwy., Exton |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | September 7, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001343 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The tenant houses on Lot #1 have been demolished and a brick office/warehouse building has been constructed on that lot, which is excluded from the boundary. |
| Acreage | 5.8 |
| Coordinates | 40.02114, -75.65893 (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 90001343.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.