The Greenfield Residential Historic District ;†] is located primarily north of the historic downtown commercial center and it spreads east and west along Main Street, or the National Road, approximately four blocks in each direction. The area is located in the Tipton Till Plain, a geological area that was repeatedly pummeled by advancing and receding glaciers, so that most of Hancock County's terrain is flat and provides prime farmland. The district's earliest buildings are clustered around the National Road on both sides of the commercial district, and then residential development primarily spread out from there north along State Street into the early 1940s, fanning out on each side to approximately Franklin Street on the west and Wood Street on the east. Early farmhouses dating to circa 1880 can be found among later buildings, suggesting that they once were located on the edges of town. Development located directly south of Main Street tended to be industrial due to the location of the Pennsylvania Railroad and freight depot there. The district comprises slightly over 187 acres and is composed primarily of houses, totaling 419 in all. The houses range from high-style, architect designed homes, to much more modest vernacular cottages, sometimes located next door to one another. The primary architectural styles found are Greek and Gothic Revivals, Italianate, Queen Anne, Craftsman, and vernacular bungalows, L-plans and gabled-ells, ranches and minimal traditional homes. The Greenfield Residential Historic District is also home to one of two extant Lustrons in Greenfield, built in circa 1947 on the northern edge of the district. The other Lustron is south of the residential district on S. State Street.
Greenfield's historic residential district is roughly bounded by Hendricks Street on the west. Depot Street on the south, Pratt Street on the east, and Boyd Avenue on the north. The district is counted as one site, and it is composed of its platted streets, sidewalks, mature trees, and specifically nine instances of historic curbing and retaining walls composed primarily of limestone, cobblestones, or brick. Of buildings, the district includes 417 houses, 4 apartment buildings, 10 commercial buildings, post office , 5 churches, 223 garage, 8 sheds, 15 carriage houses, 6 barns, 6 carports, 3 gazebos, 2 contributing privies, 1 summer kitchen, 1 playhouse, and 1 workshop. Of structures, the district includes 2 bridges, 12 fences, and one brick street. In total, there are 523 contributing buildings and 15 contributing structures, and 180 non-contributing buildings and 0 non-contributing structures. In all there are 441 total properties in the district.
Most houses are either brick or wood frame construction on brick, limestone, or concrete foundations. Typical wall cladding includes wood clapboard, brick, and synthetic siding; some unusual examples display wood shingles, stucco, and concrete block. Porches on houses built pre-1900 often feature turned wood posts and spindles, and sometimes decorative friezes, brackets, and arches. Post-1900 houses tend to exhibit concrete block knee walls and pillars on their porches. The district has houses that are typically one-, two-, and two-and-one-half stories in height, and they display uniform setbacks from the road on nearly every block. On some blocks the houses sit on a slight rise that slopes down to the sidewalk. Lot sizes tend to be long and narrow within the older sections, and become wider post-1920. Additionally, many buildings retain original one and two car garages, carriage houses, and even barns. Most houses access these buildings via an alley, as most lots are too narrow for side driveways. Some properties also retain full or remnants of original wrought-iron fencing, and nine resources retain original brick, granite, limestone and fieldstone curbing/retaining walls. All blocks include sidewalks and street trees, which add to the neighborhood's unity and sense of place.
The prominent styles found in the district are Italianate, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Free Classic, and Craftsman. Vernacular building styles primarily found are Queen Anne cottages, I-houses, gabled-ells, L-plans, and bungalows. Two properties in the district were previously individually listed in the National Register: the Charles Barr House (2008) and the James Whitcomb Riley House (1977). The historians evaluated all buildings and structures built within the period 1846-1960 in the district based on the amount of historic integrity they still possessed. Buildings that retained original materials, massing, form, and detailing to a reasonable degree were considered contributing resources. Some representative examples of resources in the district are described below.
† Candace S. Hudziak, Greenfied Residential Historic District, 2011, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C., accessed December, 2024
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
4th Street West • 5th Street West • Boyd Avenue • Depot Street • Douglas Street East • East Street North • Grant Street East • Hendricks Street • :incoln Street East • Main Street East • Main Street West • North Street East • North Street West • Pennsylvania Street North • Riley Avenue South • South Street • South Street West • Spring Street North • State Street North • Swipe Street North • Walker Street East • Walnut Street West • Wood Street • Wood Street North