Charles F. Kettering House

Charles F. Kettering House
Seen through a row of trees
Location Ridgeleigh Rd., Kettering, Ohio
Coordinates 39°41′37″N 84°11′38″W / 39.69361°N 84.19389°W / 39.69361; -84.19389Coordinates: 39°41′37″N 84°11′38″W / 39.69361°N 84.19389°W / 39.69361; -84.19389
Area 11 acres (4.5 ha)
Built 1914
Architect Schenck & Williams
Architectural style Prairie School, Tudor Revival
NRHP reference # 77001080
Significant dates
Added to NRHP December 22, 1977[1]
Designated NHL December 22, 1977[2]

The Charles F. Kettering House is a historic house on Ridgeleigh Road in Kettering, Ohio. Built in 1914, and reconstructed after a fire in 1995, it was the primary residence of inventor Charles F. Kettering, founder of Delco Electronics. The Tudor Revival house, also known as Ridgeleigh Terrace, was the first house in the United States with electric air conditioning using freon.[3] The reconstructed house is now owned by Kettering Medical Center, which operates it as a conference center. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.[2]

Description and history

The Charles F. Kettering House is located on Kettering's west side, on a hill overlooking the grounds of both Kettering College and Kettering Medical Center. It is a large Tudor Revival structure, originally designed by the Dayton firm of Schenck & Williams and built in 1914. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1995 and was rebuilt with significant modifications from the original blueprints, primarily to the upper floors, which were redesigned to accommodate the building's function as a conference center.[4]

Charles Kettering was a successful inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. His inventions of a reliable car engine ignition system, discovery of tetraethyl lead as a fuel additive to avoid engine knocking, and the development of freon, all contributed to the spread of the automobile in the United States. His philanthropy included founding of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Charles F. Kettering House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  3. ↑ Pagano, Sohayla (Editor). "Charles F. Kettering". History. Ohio History Central. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  4. ↑ "History Station 5: Kettering Medical Center". Kettering Parks Foundation. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  5. ↑ "National Historic Landmark nomination for Charles F. Kettering House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
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