Sharpless, William C., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1886 in Central Germantown, Philadelphia, the three-story house is constructed of coursed Wissahickon schist with a gable and hipped roof, decorative shingling and a stable at the rear. Its design is attributed to George W. Hewitt, whose work is linked in the nomination to Henry H. Houston's suburban developments. The house was built for William C. Sharpless, a partner in Sharpless and Watts, agents and importers of fine tiles and marbles. Its interiors contain an unusually large collection of nineteenth-century English and American encaustic and art tiles, including hand-painted panels signed by Albert Slater and Samuel Alcock, Minton Hollins and Copeland pieces, and an oriel window with stained glass. The nomination regards the house as a well-preserved example of suburban residential design, with a notable concentration of decorative tile work from the period after the 1876 Centennial Exposition, when tile use in homes became fashionable.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be significant as an intact example of suburban residential architecture of the late nineteenth century, with some of the finest interior encaustic and art tile work in the city. Its tile collection, including hand-painted panels by English tile painters, is presented as showing the popularity of decorative tiles for interior use after the 1876 Centennial Exposition. The nomination also ties the house to Sharpless's firm, Sharpless and Watts, importers of tiles and marbles.
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 83004249, listed December 29, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5446 Wayne Ave., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 29, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004249 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1872-1913 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Fairmount Park |
| Coordinates | 40.03010, -75.17659 (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 83004249.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8006403
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.