Nomination for Barrett, George, Concrete House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

* NPS-Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No.1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries - complete applicable sections 1. Name George Barrett Concrete House For NPS use only received MAR | 3 1986 date entered APR 10 1986 historic George Barrett Concrete House and or common 2. Location street & number 4 East Main Street not for publication city, town Spring Valley - vicinity of state Ohio 3.

Classification code 039 county Greene code 057 Category district x building(s) structure site object Ownership - public X private both Public Acquisition - in process being considered Status X occupied - unoccupied _ work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted X yes: unrestricted _no Present Use - agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial military museum park private residence religious scientific transportation other: N/A 4. Owner of Property name William H. Jackson street & number P.O. Box 145 city, town Sanibel, - vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Florida courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Greene County Courthouse, Recorder's Office street & number 69 Greene Street city, town Xenia 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys state Ohio title Ohio Historic Inventory has this property been determined eligible?X yes date September, 1977 _ federal X state - -county - local depository for survey records Ohio Historic Preservation Office city, town Columbus state Ohio 7. Description Condition excellent good X fair . deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered X altered Check one X original site moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The George Barrett Concrete house is located in the village of Spring Valley in Greene County, Ohio. On Lot #26 of Moses Walton's fourth addition it sits at the southern base of the Shawnee Indian Mound on the eastern bank of the Little Miami River, 1/4 mile from the current intersection of SR725 and SR42. The house stands at the northeast corner of the intersection of Terrace and Main (formerly Pike) Streets. The most unusual feature of this house is the fact that it was built of poured concrete in 1853, a fact which is documented in great detail in Barrett's treatise, The Poor Man's Home, and Rich Man's Palace: or The Application of The Grave1 Wall Cement to the Purposes of Building. The frame home Barrett built around 1847 consisted of a main central portion with one story wings on either side and a separate kitchen in the rear, all on a stone basement and foundation.

This house, with the exception of the left wing and kitchen, burned in 1852. It is onto this original left wing and kitchen that Barrett built his two and a half story Greek Revival style concrete home. The front facade to the southeast 1ooks much the same today as it did when first constructed. The 2 bay wide, rectangular shaped central portion sits on a poured concrete foundation and has a 13" thick first-story and 9" thick second-story walls around its perimeter. The shallow-gabled pedimented roof extends over the frontcreating atwo-story veranda which features, on both the upper and lower story, a recessed door with transom to the left of two full length 1/1double hung windows with functional shutters. This concrete portion of the home is three bays deep with 1/1 double hung sash windows above two openings on the ground floor.

Attached to the rear, and somewhat to the right of the concrete portion, is the original kitchen from the 1847 house which is now used as storage area. This room contains a large china cabinet which Barrett describes in his book, although it was originally located in the dining room. The room arrangement of the concrete portion of this house remains similar to Barrett's original floor plan. The downstairs apartment layout is similar to Barrett's own sitting room, master bedroom and dining room. Upstairs a second apartment has been made of the old parlor, which opened from a hallway onto the veranda, and four small bedrooms. A large closet formed the wall between the two righthand bedrooms and could be accessed from either side. This closet/wall partition has been removed and the two bedrooms made into a kitchen.

The two left bedrooms contained built-in closets and storage areas which still remain al though the rear bedroom has been converted to a bathroom. A large hallway, featuring an elegant curving stairway with two closets beneath, runs the entire length of the left side of the concrete portion of the house and contains original entrances to both the concrete section on the right and the older frame section on the left. Theoriginal frame wing,built in 1847, lies to the left of and three feet recessed from the concrete portion. This wing has a central entrance with 1/1 double hung aluminum replacement windows on either side. These windows are much smaller than the originals, the space having been roughly framed with wood. This room served the Barretts as a "lodging" or sickroom/nursery. It is now used as a living room for the third apartment and contains a stairway to the second floor.

A second story two bay addition has been added to this wing which has much of the interior and exterior craf tsmanship found in the first floor and the concrete portion (i.e., well built window frames, staircase with built-in storage areas beneath, built-in closets, similar fireplace mantle.) The veranda from the main section extends over the first story of the frame portion. Across the entire front facade of the house and the second story gable the porch is supported by slender square columns, four on the second story and seven on the first, which, if not original, are very similar to those used originally and are quite old. The columns have deteriorated badly, causing the roof of the first story porch to sag, which in turn has caused the concrete right side wall to crack. Decorative scrolled brackets were added at a later date, some of which have deteriorated and are missing.

A one story, two-bay, poorly constructed, flat-roofed addition with a rear shed roof storage area was front facade remains wood. At the rear of the property is found a gable-roofed one car concrete block garage, which was probably constructed in the 1950s or 60s. This structure incorporates a much smaller gable-roofed frame storage shed/horse barn, built around the turn of the century. This smaller building has itself been built over an outhouse (two holer) which is quite old, if not originally built by George Barrett.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 1900 Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below archeology-prehistoric community planning - archeology-historic conservation - agriculture economics X architecture education art X. engineering commerce exploration/settlement communications industry _X invention landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics/government religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation other(specify) Specific dates 1853 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect George Barrett Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Criterion C The George Barrett 1853 Concrete House is architecturally significant because it is the oldest known concrete house in Ohio. Mid-nineteenth century concrete houses represent the innovative era in American architecture when house construction was influenced by Orson Squire Fowler, a phrenologist and a prolific writer on health and happiness. In his 1853book, A Home for Al1 or the Gravel Wall and Octagon Mode of Building, Fowler advocated the octagonal plan for its increased floor space, and gravel walls as the perfect building materlal, but Barrett devised his own plans for a concrete house after a fire destroyed his frame residence in Spring Valley in 1852. The construction of this mid nineteenth century concrete house is well documented in a book Barrett published in 1854.

George Barrett was born in Danby, Vermont on December 6 , 1796, son of Jaazamiah Barrett, a first generation Irish immigrant farmer. George was quite intelligent and highly motivated as well as inventive and became a woolen manufacturer in Danby. He later moved to Half Moon, Saratoga County, New York where he established another woolen mil1, married Mahala Merrett and proceeded to raise a family of ten children. In 1837 they moved to Middletown, Vermont, in 1839 to Delaware, Ohio and in 1843 to Spring Valley, Ohio which, lying in an area served by abundant water (needed for power and transportation) and on the path of the soon-to-be-completed railroad line, promised to be the ideal site for a mill. In each woolen mill he constructed, Barrett developed an improved design and invented more efficient machinery.

Spring Valley he invested heavily in local property and constructed a frame house, most of which burnt to the ground in 1852. This caused George Barrett, the builder of innovative mills and machinery, to begin thinking of a new form of construction, a form not so susceptible to destruction by fire. It was about this time he read an article in the Xenia Torchlight describing Orson Squire Fowler's experimentation with poured concrete dwellings and details of a concrete house constructed in Wisconsin. Barrett wrote to Fowler for further information but received no response and was unaware that Fowler had already published A Home For All: or, the Gravel Wall and Octagon Mode of Building (1853). Barrett proceeded on his own to draw plans and fully construct his own poured concrete house in the Greek Revival style.

He hauled gcavel 1/4 mile up Pike Street from the Little Miami River, dug a basement, constructed the frame, hired a man to help mix the mortar, and, he himself, built up his walls at the rate of 13" per day. When finished he hired a carpenter to complete the house and had his family moved in by the autumn of 1853. About that time Barrett obtained a copy of Fowler's book. George Barrett, described by contemporaries as "a man of decided ideas" strenuously disagreed with many of Fowlers ideas, including his formula for concrete, his method of mixing it, his plan for building up the walls, his preference for interior plaster walls, and, most importantly, Fowler's penchant for the octagon form which Barrett objected to not only for aesthetic and practical reasons but he stressés 17g contained less usable space than standard form dwellings.

In 1854, after studying Fowler's book and living an entire winter in his own concrete house, George Barrett wrote his own book entitled The Poor Man's Home, and Rich Man's Palace: or, The Application of the Gravel Wall Cement To the Purposes of Building, in which he not only detailed the construction of his house but decried what he considered to be Fowler's grave errors in judgment, building skill and mathematics. The book was published and widely distributed (given away at Barrett's expense) in the Spring Valley area. Unfortunately, and contrary to Barrett's hopes, neither his book nor the existance of his impressive concrete home educated or inspired builders and, as far as can be determined, no other concrete homes were built in the area until the early 20th.

century after the introduction of Thomas Edison's Portland Cement, al though time has proven Barrett's cement to be every bit as durable as Fowler's or Edison's. George Barrett was considered excentric in Spring Valley and his house has since been referred to as the "Stone House", a reference to what most people thought he was trying to achieve. Barrett, a Quaker, Whig, and staunch abolitionist, frequently found himself in disagreement with his neighbors in Spring Valley and he remained undaunted. He was not trying to simulate a stone house. He built exactly what he set out to build; a sturdy, stylish, practical, and economical home which would withstand the ravages of time. Barrett lived in the house until his death in 1874.

whom were kinder to it than others, but none, through abuse or neglect, havebeen able to alterthe integrity of this fine home, which stands as a monument to George Barrett's genius and tenacity. Today it is owned by a master carpenter who hopes to preserve the structure and restore it to its original elegance and maintain it as an apartment complex.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References -Barrett, George, The Poor Man's Home, and Rich Man's Palace: or, The Application of the Gravel Wall Cement To The Purposes of Building. Applegate & Co., Cincinnati, 1854. -Fowler, Orson Squire, A Home For All: or, The Gravel Wall and the Octagon Mode of Building. -Portrait & Biographical Album of Greene & Clark Counties, Ohio. Chapman Bros., Chicago, 1890. (see continuation sheet # 10. Geographical Data .169 Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name - Waynesville UT M References AL1,6l Zone L7516/815,0 Easting Quadrangle scale 1:24000 [413|818|41410/ Northing HULLLL LiliL Easting Northing Lwulilu ELI F 1Lu H Verbal boundary description and justification Lot #26, Moses Walton's fourth addition, 62.28 x 119 x 61.50 x 119 Doc. 2885, Vol. 105, p.

751 List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state n/a code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By name/title Diana Good organization Wright State University date April 1985 street & number P. O. Box 92 telephone (513) 862-4370 city or town Spring Valley state Ohio 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89- 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. State Historic Preservation Officer signature ).

title SHPO For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register pupeem. Me chesm Entered the Keeper of the National Register Nationel Register ece date date 4/10/86 Attest: Chief of Registration date U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1983 0 - 419-311 NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Barrett, George, Concrete, House, Spring Valley, Greene Continuation sheet #1 County, Ohio Item number 9 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.

10-31-84 For NPS use only received dale entered Page 1 Major Biographical References (continued) - Smith, Carl, A History of Spring Valley, 1952 - Interviews with previous owners, tenants and neighbors, 10/1984 - "The Xenia Torchlight" , 1/18/1854, 9/9/1857, 9/18/1861 :020 33.65 John Martha WELLER Barrett, George, Concrete, House, Spri Mary A .Miars. 37.16 Survey ey, ebcrah Lcyd oun Greene Countyy Darad Ohio Jon E CINCINNA Ama yu" 8417 .ne- - Corperation N° 4871 SURVEY FStump 5T0% 1 Village of Spring Valley, OH From 1875 map George Barrett Concrete House S4242 Spring Valley, + TO BELLBROOK ST. RT 42 + TO WAYNESVILLE Greene County, Ohio GEORGE BARRETT CONCRETE HOUSE GREENE COUNTY BELLBROOK ST SWAWNEE BURIAL mpuN D PIKECMAMDST PLUM ST w- -E HTTLE MNAMI RIVER WALNUT ST. ST RT. 725 SPRING VALLEY CINCINNATI-XENIA RR SPRING VALLEY PAINTERVILL RD ST.

RT 42 TO XENIA GEORGE BARRETT CONCRETE HOUSE George Barrett Concrete House Spring Valley, Greene Cty, OH D. Good, PO Box 92, Spring Valley, OH 45370 Front facade: left: frame wing, ca. 1847 right: concrete wing, ca. 1853 General direction: North 11/1/84 - Lithograph from Barrett's book: The Poor Man's Home, and Rich Man's Palace: or, The Application of the Gravel Wall Cement To the Purposes of Building. Applegate & Co., Cincinnati, 1854. George Barrett Concrete House D.Good, PO Box 92, Spring Valley, Greene County, OH 45370 George Barrett, Spring Valley, OH 1854 Description: Floor plan of first floor. Direction: northeast STORE R B M MSTOVE P W.B. d C.S.

CIS P S WASO Form - 177 ('R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET 86000699 Barrett, George, Concrete House Greene County OHIO resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: J sample request Working No.- Fed. Reg. Date: Date Due: Entered 1n National Registe Action: MAR 13 1986 2-3-87 -appeal _ACCEPT _RETURN - REJECT. Federal Agency: 4/27/86 4/10/ -NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer Discipline. Date _ see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one - unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity C I applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 1191181 9. Major Bibliographical References 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed - Date Phone: _ GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet 1. George Barrett Conc Spring Valley, Gree D. Good PO 92, Spring Valle 11/01/84 Front facade: left: frame"wing, right: concrete wir General Direction: 1 George Barrett Concr Spring Valley, Greer D. Good, PO 92, Spri 11/01/84 Description: Left, c Right, frame kitche General Direction: S George Barrett Concr Spring Valley, Greer D.

Good, PO Box 92, 11/01/84 Description: Left, c Right, frame, ca. 1 Direction: northwest George Barrett Concre Spring Valley, Greene D. Good, PO 92, Sprin 11/01/84 Description: Left rea Left front, concrete right front, lower, right front, upper, right rear, frame, c Direction: east 5. George Barrett Concrete Spring Valley, Greene D. Good, PO Box 92, Spr 11/01/84 Descripton: Outbuilding rear: ca. 1950t front: ca. 1890+ enclosed: outhouse: Ca b. George Barrett Concrete Spring Valley, Greene Co D. Good, PO Box 92, Spri 11/01/84 Description: Interior, c entrance to sitting roo Direction: east Z. George Barrett Concrete House Spring Valley, Greene County, Ohio 45370 D. Good, PO Box 92, Spring Valley, OH 45 11/01/84 Description: Interior, concrete portion, Direction: northwest 8. George Barrett Concrete Ho Spring Valley, Greene Gour D.

Good, PO Box 92, Spring 1/01/84 Description: Interior, con original window (aluminum Direction: southeast 9. George Barrett Concrete Spring Valley, Greene Co D. Good, PO Box 92, Spri 11/01/84 Description: Interior, c typical original windo around top of window f Direction: south 10. George Barrett Concrete Spring Valley, Greene ( 11/01/84 Description: Interior, cast iron mantle, ca. Direction: northeast George Barrett Concret Spring Valley, Greene D. Good, PO Box 92, Sp 11/01/84 Interior: staricase Direction: northwest 12.. George Barrett Concrete House Spring Valley, Greene County, Ohio D. Good, PO Box 92, Spring Valley, OH 4537 11/01/84 Description: Interior: concrete portion, ca Direction: northwest George Barrett Concrete House Spring Valley, Greene County, O D. Good, PO Box 92, Spring Vall 11/01/84 Description: Interior, concrete Direction: northeast 14.

George Barrett Concrete House Spring Valley, Greene County, Ohio D. Good, PO Box 92, Spring Valley, 11/01/84 Description: Interior, second story Direction: northwest Ohio Historic Preservation Office 1985 Velma Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211 614/466-1500 OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY SINCE 1885 March 4, 1986 Ms. Carol Shull, Chief National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 Dear Carol: Enclosed are two new National Register nominations and two resubmissions. All of the approprlate notification procedures have been followed for these new submissions. New Submissions Crystal Lake Stock Farm Watertown Historic District Resubmissions Barrett, George, House Golden Eagle Wine Cellars County Portage Wash ington County Greene Ottawa Please contact me if you have any questions. Sincere W.Pou W.

Ray Luce State Historic Preservation Office WRL:bp Enclosures MAR 1 3 1986