The Millen–Schmidt House is a historic residence in

Xenia Xenia may refer to: People * Xenia (name), a feminine given name; includes a list of people with this name Places United States ''listed alphabetically by state'' * Xenia, Illinois, a village in Clay County ** Xenia Township, Clay County, Il ...

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. Built in the late nineteenth century, it was named a

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...

after surviving a massive tornado. Eli Millen settled in Xenia in 1837, having left

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because of his sense of revulsion toward slavery. After operating a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

store for several years, he expanded his operation to include pork packing and

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...

ing. Later in life, Millen travelled to Europe, where he saw and admired a massive Italian mansion. After returning to America, he learned that a similar house had been built in New York, so he hired the architect to design a similar residence in Xenia's upscale North King Street neighborhood;Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 542/544. it was completed in 1871. In 1912, the house was purchased by Henry E. Schmidt, a well-off produce merchant. Built of brick on a stone foundation, the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

-styled Millen–Schmidt House features elements of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. Its overall plan is in the shape of the letter "T"; two stories tall, it comprises a three-story rectangular tower with two Second Empire-styled gable-roofed portions that form the rest of the house. The house is entered through a

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

-styled porch, built of stone.Historical and Architectural Tour
, City of Xenia, 2009-08, 24. Accessed 2012-12-23. Originally, the interior was so elaborate that its completion required two years of work. On 3 April 1974, much of Xenia's near north side was destroyed by one of the worst tornadoes on record. Two years later, it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, qualifying because of its historically significant architecture. Millen's goal of having "a house that people will notice" remained true over a century after its completion. Another house on North King that survived the tornado, known as the Samuel N. Patterson House, is located two blocks to the north; it too was listed on the National Register in 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Millen-Schmidt House Houses completed in 1871 Houses in Greene County, Ohio Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Italianate architecture in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Greene County, Ohio Xenia, Ohio