Conyngham-Hacker House
Why it's listed
A two-and-a-half-story stone house with a cellar stands about 30 feet back from the street in Germantown, Philadelphia. The original block measures 47 by 22 feet, with a rear wing 21 by 30 feet, while porches and later rear buildings were added in several periods. A dressed stone front, a rubble masonry retaining wall along the sidewalk, and an entrance porch framed by two Doric columns with an arched opening under a gable give the house its formal face. Its interior woodwork, staircases and flooring are largely original and well preserved. The house was owned by Theobald Endt from 1745 to 1765, later passed to Philip Gabel, William Forbes and Isaiah Hacker, and served as a boarding school. Artists Joseph Pennell and Herbert Pullinger made etchings of it. In 1927 Isaiah Hacker Howell and Susan Hacker Bodine gave it to the Germantown Historical Society, which has used it as headquarters since. It lies within the Germantown Avenue National Historic Landmark area.
Significance in brief: The form describes the interior trim, woodwork, staircases and flooring as original and well preserved, with much of the detail of exceptional value. The property is also located within the Germantown Avenue National Historic Landmark area and has been associated with local artists and the Germantown Historical Society.
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 72001149, listed January 13, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5214 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | January 13, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001149 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by the Germantown Historical Society, which received it as a gift in 1927 and has used it as headquarters since. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Colonial Germantown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.03110, -75.16745 (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 72001149.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5166787
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.