Funck, Josiah, Mansion
Why it's listed
Built of brick in the Second Empire style, this three-story corner residence in Lebanon has a mansard roof with iron cresting, a five-bay front, and a first-story porch on square columns. The house was first recorded as part of the Abraham Light tract and is generally attributed to Simeon Guilford, a civil engineer on the Erie and Union canals, around 1852. Josiah Funck, a lawyer who became district attorney in 1854 and represented Lebanon County at the 1873 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, owned the house from 1868 until the 1920s. The Woman's Club of Lebanon bought it in 1923, and its founders helped establish the Visiting Nurses Association, Family and Children's Service, and the Lebanon Community Library. Interior features include original plaster medallions, gas chandeliers, marble fireplaces, and wood trim. The grounds include a large Copper Beach tree that may be the oldest and largest of its kind in Pennsylvania.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is one of the best preserved buildings of its period and style in Lebanon and a fine example of Second Empire design. It is also associated with Josiah Funck, a prominent lawyer, district attorney and 1873 state constitutional convention representative, and with the Woman's Club, whose founders helped establish several local organizations.
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 80003545, listed January 31, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 450 Cumberland St., Lebanon |
|---|---|
| County | Lebanon County |
| Listed | January 31, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003545 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Well preserved interior and exterior; used by The Woman's Club of Lebanon, with two additions made after 1932. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.33963, -76.41905 (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 80003545.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6290496
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.