The Lewis-
Syford House

This house was built in 1878 and is the only privately owned property as well as the oldest building remaining on campus. Constructed in the French Second Empire style for Rev. Elisha Lewis (a missionary and chaplain for the Union Army during the Civil War.) The home was purchased by the Syford family (DeWitt Syford and Amanda (Bean) Syford.)  in 1904. They owned it until 1965; upon Constance Snyder’s death it was willed to the NE State Historical Society Foundation. It was used by the University for various purposes until it was purchased by Nebraska photographer Joel Sartore in 2013. When he purchased it, the interior was renovated with modern appliances, amenities, and some interior retouches. The exterior remains largely exactly as it was in 1879, one of the last remaining examples of the Second Empire architectural style in Lincoln.

 

The house also includes a carriage house at the northeast corner of the property, this too has remained unchanged since its construction (also around 1878.) To accommodate automobiles a concrete slab floor was poured, and the doors were widened. In 1970 an application to add the Lewis-Syford house to the National register of Historic Places, was submittedthis was soon approved, and the house has remained on the registry ever since.

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For more information about the Syford Family check out History Nebraska!

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