Montgomery House
Why it's listed
Built in 1880 in Claysville, Washington County, Pennsylvania, the Montgomery House is a three-and-a-half-story domestic building with a four-story roof tower. Its builder, Robert Porter, was a lumber mill owner who spent two years working on the interior and exterior trim. The house is a clear expression of the Second Empire style, with a mansard roof bearing sloping sides and dormers on the front and side elevations, and it retains remnants of the earlier Italianate period. Its bay windows, veranda and incised ornament give the facade a strong play of projecting and receding masses. Horizontal Novelty siding covers the walls, and the curved glass plates in the mansard tower dormers are all intact. The house is regarded as an important contribution to the architectural development of Washington County and reflects the late Victorian taste for richly decorated facades made possible by mechanized ornament production.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a notable example of late Victorian Second Empire design, combining remnants of the earlier Italianate period with lavish mansard roof, ornamentation and trim. It states the house is in an unusually intact state of preservation and is an important contribution to the architectural development of Washington County.
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 74001809, listed October 25, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W. Main St., Claysville |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | October 25, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001809 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Robert Porter (builder) |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as being in a state of excellent preservation and unaltered, at its original site. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.11590, -80.41591 (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 74001809.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6905737
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.