John Wright Mansion

Historic house in Ohio, United States

United States historic place


John Wright Mansion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Front of the house
41°16′53″N 82°47′25″W / 41.28139°N 82.79028°W / 41.28139; -82.79028
Area	Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1881
Architectural style	Second Empire
NRHP reference No.	74001530^[1]
Added to NRHP	February 27, 1974

The John Wright Mansion is a historic farmhouse located east of Bellevue in northwestern Huron County, Ohio, United States. Built in 1881,^[1] it represents an unusual combination of location and architectural styles.

A native of England, John Wright settled in the United States in 1833, moving quickly to Huron County. Here, he quickly began to increase his wealth and buy real estate; when he finished buying land, he was in possession of approximately 2,500 acres (1,000 ha). Besides buying land, he was prominent for his military service as a four-year veteran of the United States Army during the Civil War.^[2]

When Wright decided to build the present house, he chose to employ the Second Empire style of architecture. This combination was quite unusual: Second Empire houses are found far more often in urban settings, and massive residences of the style are very rare on farmsteads in the region.^[2] Built of brick,^[3] this three-story house is topped with a mansard roof and prominent dormers; the front is symmetrical and ornamented with a bracketed porch in the Italianate style. Toward the rear, a wing as tall as the rest of the house extends southward; the interior is composed of a substantial ballroom and twenty-three other rooms.^[2]

In early 1974, the Wright Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places,^[1] qualifying because of its distinctive historic architecture.^[3] Today, the mansion is part of Historic Lime Village, a volunteer-based organization that operates it as a historic house museum.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 790-791.
^ ^a ^b Wright, John, Mansion, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2012-01-23.
^ Ricker, Jeaneatte. "In Victorian Style: Guild Adds Holiday Touches to Wright Mansion Archived 2012-01-15 at the Wayback Machine". Bellevue Gazette, 2011. Accessed 2012-01-23.