Barclay House

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

Barclay House is a residence of two contributing buildings at 535 and 539 N. Church St. in West Chester, Chester County. The original house was built in 1866-1867 in the Italianate style by Henry P. Sharpless; Colonial Revival additions followed in 1935-1936.

Why it's listed

It was listed under criteria A and C, with local-level significance in social history and architecture. Its significance runs from 1866 to 1950, reflecting the 1866-1867 construction and later years as a boarding home.

Physical character

The house has brick walls on a rusticated stone foundation, with a flat roof and wide cornice. A verandah with six frame pillars and Chippendale-style railing wraps the house, alongside an Italianate portico and porte-cochere. The carriage house became a residence in 1925, and the east block was raised to three stories in 1935-1936; the building was later relocated and renovated.

Historical context

Joshua Hartshorne bought the land in 1866 for his retirement home and died in 1884; the house remained a private residence until 1931. It passed to the Barclay Home Corporation in 1935 and by 1949 had 22 rooms for guests. It merged with Friends Hall in 1978; the property was sold to JMA Properties in 1998, and renovated into office space that year.