Hawthorn Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hawthorn Hill
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Hawthorn Hill in the winter
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 901 Harman Avenue, Oakwood, Ohio |
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| Built | 1914 |
| Architect | Schenck & Williams, Wilbur and Orville Wright |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001585 |
| Added to NRHP | October 18, 1974 |
Hawthorn Hill is a special house in Oakwood, Ohio. It was the home of the famous Wright brothers family after 1914. Orville Wright, his father Milton, and sister Katharine Wright lived here.
Orville and his brother Wilbur planned the house together. Sadly, Wilbur passed away in 1912 before the house was finished in 1914. The Wrights hired a well-known architecture firm, Schenck and Williams, to help build their dream home.
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The Wright Family Home
The Wrights named their home Hawthorn Hill because of the many hawthorn trees on the property. There are at least 150 of these trees around the house! The property was originally very large, about 17 acres. Today, it is still a good size at three acres.
Orville Wright was not just an inventor of airplanes. He also designed some cool features for his house. For example, he created a system to collect and reuse rainwater. He also designed a central vacuum system. These ideas show how creative and smart Orville was.
For 34 years, Hawthorn Hill was a meeting place for important people. Many famous aviators and inventors visited the house. It was a hub for those interested in the history of flight.
Hawthorn Hill's Journey
After Orville Wright passed away, the NCR Corporation bought Hawthorn Hill. They used it as a special guesthouse for important visitors. They also held company events there. Sometimes, they even opened the house for the public to visit.
On August 18, 2006, something exciting happened. NCR donated Hawthorn Hill to the Wright Family Foundation. This gift honored Orville's 135th birthday and National Aviation Day. It meant the house would stay connected to the Wright family.
Since September 2007, Dayton History has offered tours of Hawthorn Hill. They work with the Wright Family Foundation to let people explore this historic home.
A Glimpse Inside
When NCR owned the house, they redecorated many rooms. Because of this, most of the house looks different from when Orville lived there. However, Orville's study still looks much like it did before 1948.
Right after Orville's death, a photographer took pictures of the house's interior. This was done by Edward A. Deeds, who was the chairman of the National Cash Register Company. These photos help us see how the house looked when Orville lived there.
A National Treasure
Hawthorn Hill is a very important place in American history. In 1991, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior named it a National Historic Landmark. This means it's recognized as a place of great national importance.
In 2008, Hawthorn Hill was also added to the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List. This list includes places that might one day become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's part of a group of sites called the Dayton Aviation Sites. Hawthorn Hill is also a key part of the National Aviation Heritage Area. This area celebrates the history of flight in the Dayton region.
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