Green Mansion House
Main St., Kenton, DEThe Green Mansion House was built as a town dwelling during the initial development of the town of Kenton. Philip Lewis, in arranging for its construction, had the building erected in a manner very similar to many of the brick farmhouses standing in Kenton Hundred. The original brick block is a one room plan dwelling and now functions as a kitchen wing. The frame block contains the public living space and is arranged in the formal vocabulary of a 3-bay, centerhall-plan dwelling. The combination of the two diverse floor plans has created a unique dwelling in that the nineteenth century use of a one room plan in brick is linked to a more modern and major frame addition. The usual practice in Kenton Hundred is to have the brick section retain its use as the major block and the frame additions serve as a minor wing. This house is therefore eligible under Criterion C as an example of a reversal of the usual building practice and tradition of Kenton Hundred. The house is also eligible under Criterion A for its association with Philip Lewis, the initial developer of Kenton, but more importantly for its association with and used by John Green as his principal residence while he participated in encouraging the growth of the town.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.