Trout Hall
Why it's listed
Built of stone between 1768 and 1770 as a summer residence for James Allen, son of Allentown founder William Allen, Trout Hall is a large two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half story house in the Georgian style. It was constructed on land near Northampton Town, a grid-planned settlement laid out in 1761. The house is regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of Georgian domestic architecture in the Lehigh Valley, where most older homes were built by German settlers as farmhouses rather than town residences. Its later history includes use by the Allentown Seminary from 1848, a period under Muhlenberg College ownership, and a restoration beginning in 1915 by the Lehigh County Historical Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Restoration work recovered original woodwork, paint and decoration. The house is significant for its architecture and its connection to the Allen family.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Trout Hall is an excellent example of Georgian domestic architecture and is the best preserved and largest mansion-type house in the Allentown area. It is considered rare in the Lehigh Valley, where most older houses were built by German settlers as farmhouses. It is also associated with the locally prominent Allen family and the founding of Northampton Town.
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 78002425, listed November 14, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 414 Walnut St., Allentown |
|---|---|
| County | Lehigh County |
| Listed | November 14, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002425 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1768-1770 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored to its circa 1800 state after 1916, with later additions removed between 1916 and 1918, and restoration projects continuing into 1975. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 40.60247, -75.46342 (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 78002425.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7846600
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.