Oxford Hotel
Why it's listed
Brick hotel at the corner of Market and N. 3rd Streets in Oxford Borough, built in 1853 and enlarged in 1888, 1894 and 1924. The site has hosted a hotel since the 18th century, when a tavern stood on a crossroads on the Limestone Road and later served as a wheat depository during the Revolutionary War. The 1853 three-story structure was converted by later owners into a larger commercial hotel with a two-story porch added in 1869. In 1894 Armstrong, the owner, hired architect George Jones to build an addition with sixteen bedrooms and a corner turret of pressed metal with a conical roof. The building is regarded as a clear example of late Victorian commercial architecture in the borough, and its changing additions record the growth of the local economy and the hotel's business success.
Significance in brief: The hotel is presented as the borough's oldest and most important commercial building, with a tavern site dating to the 18th century on a stagecoach route. Its successive additions reflect the town's commercial growth and the hotel's business success. The document argues that its late Victorian commercial architecture, including the turret and bracketed cornices, reflects the character of the business district.
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 94001055, listed August 26, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Market and N. 3rd Sts., Oxford |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | August 26, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001055 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1853-1943 |
| Architect / builder | George Jones (architect of the 1894 addition) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Oxford Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.78535, -75.97842 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 94001055.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7115364
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.