Thralls, Ernest, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1939 and 1940 on a nine-acre section of a 133-acre farm south of Spraggs, Greene County, the concrete block house was designed by Ernest Thralls, a pharmacist and former Army officer who had spent years in the American southwest. It is a Spanish Revival house with stone veneer, stucco upper walls, casement windows, a semicircular stone entrance tower, and low tile roofs. Its interior includes hardwood floors, beamed ceilings, Mexican tile, and a stair with newel posts and balusters salvaged from an older house. The nomination presents the house as a locally significant example of a style popular nationally from about 1920 to 1940. It notes Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts elements as well. Thralls lived there until his death in 1954. The house is regarded as a locally important single example of the style in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is locally significant under criterion C as a singular example of Spanish Revival architecture, a style popular nationally from 1920 to 1940. It cites the builder's travels in the American southwest and Mexico as the source of the design, along with Spanish Revival detailing and some Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts elements, and reused interior features from older houses.
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 99000513, listed May 12, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | PA 218 S at TR 353 and TR 522, Spraggs |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | May 12, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000513 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1939-1940 |
| Architect / builder | Thralls, Ernest |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form describes the house as retaining most of its original finishes, with some windows replaced, portions of the roof re-tiled in the 1980s, and two porches enclosed. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 39.75212, -80.21890 (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 99000513.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5393896
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.