407 West Chestnut Street Lancaster, PA
This landmark home is often considered Lancaster’s finest examples of Second Empire architecture. It was constructed in 1873 by builder John Adam Burger for Barton B. Martin and wife Catharine (Rohrer) Martin. Mr. Martin was a coal and lumber merchant / real estate developer who lived here with his family.
This is one of my favorite houses in this neighborhood. It is often considered the Jewel of the West Side. The architecture features a mansard roof with dormers, window caps with console brackets, quoins, and a modillioned cornice. The house is named West Lawn.
1874 quote from Biographical Encyclopedia of PA: "The handsomest specimen of architecture in the city and as a villa residence one of the most elegant in the state."
