Wheelen House
Why it's listed
Built in the mid-eighteenth century in Downingtown, Chester County, the Wheelen House is a two-and-a-half-story fieldstone farmhouse with a gabled roof and end chimneys. The main block is four bays wide and two bays deep. A kitchen wing of random fieldstone extends north from the main section and is topped by a later dormer, and a shed-roofed summer kitchen with a brick cooking-stove chimney was added to its west wall in the nineteenth century. Walls combine coursed fieldstone on the south and east with random fieldstone on the north and west, set with massive corner quoins. Deep pent eaves separate the floors, and a heavy cornice runs around the building. The south front door has a rectangular transom and a simple architrave. The house was built by James Wheelen, a prosperous local farmer. It is regarded as a local expression of the Georgian style in Pennsylvania, valued for its fieldstone construction, proportions, and fenestration. Restoration took place in the late 1940s and early 1950s under architect Edgar F. Otto.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant as a local interpretation of Georgian architecture. It cites its fieldstone construction, its height of 2½ stories, its gabled roof with end chimneys, deep pent eaves, six-over-six sash windows with shutters, and the design of the front door as features characteristic of the Georgian style in Pennsylvania. The document notes that little record of the family's activities survives beyond the house itself.
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 74001768, listed June 20, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Downingtown on Fellowship Rd., Upper Uwchlan Township, Downingtown |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | June 20, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001768 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century |
| Architect / builder | James Wheelen (builder, per the statement of significance); restoration by Edgar F. Otto (architect) |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored during the late 1940s and early 1950s; the summer kitchen was enclosed in the 1960s. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | West Vincent Highlands Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.10600, -75.67593 (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 74001768.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17066442
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.