James Brooks House (Dayton, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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James Brooks House
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Front and western side
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 41 E. 1st St., Dayton, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1831 or 1832 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001495 |
| Added to NRHP | May 29, 1975 |
The James Brooks House is a historic home in downtown Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was built in the 1830s and changed quite a bit later in the 1800s. In the 1970s, it was recognized as an important historic place.
What Does It Look Like?
The Brooks House is a stone building with a brick base and an asphalt roof. It also has parts made of stone and iron. The main part of the house is a simple rectangle. It has two main floors, plus a basement that you can see from the outside.
At the back, there's an extra part that used to be a big two-story porch. This porch was later closed in to make more rooms. The front of the house has three sections, called "bays." Windows are in the middle and right sections on all three floors. The left section has a window on the second floor and the main door on the first floor. In the basement, the left section has a small staircase blocking it.
Tall, flat columns called pilasters with fancy tops (like Ionic capitals) separate the windows on the second floor. There aren't similar decorations below. A gently sloped roof, called a hip roof, covers the house. It has chimneys on both sides. The roof hangs over a bit, making space for a decorative border called a cornice with big supports called brackets. The sides of the house are much simpler. On the west side, you'll mostly see a simple fire escape.
Who Lived Here?
The early history of the house is a bit of a mystery. It was built for Thomas Clegg, an immigrant from England. He was a businessman who owned Dayton's first factories that made things out of iron and brass. We're not exactly sure when it was built. A stone building was put up on this spot in 1831. This might be the same house, or it might have been built in 1832.
Old tax records from Montgomery County don't clearly show who owned the property when the house was built. They show that Thomas Clegg never owned the land or paid taxes on it. The house was first designed in the Greek Revival style. This was a popular style that looked like ancient Greek buildings. But in the mid-1800s, the house was updated. These changes made it look more like the Victorian era style, which was popular at that time.
A Historic Landmark
In 1975, the Brooks House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of buildings, sites, and objects that are important in American history. The house was added because of its interesting and important architecture. Another historic building, the Dr. Jefferson A. Walters House, is located on the same street.
