Located along Miami Street (U.S. Route 36[2]) on the city's western side,[1] it was built in 1833 as the home of physician Adam Mosgrove, one of Urbana's first doctors.

A native of Enniskillen in Ireland, Mosgrove immigrated to the United States in 1816; he moved to Urbana after living in Elizabethtown and Lancaster, Ohio.

[3]: 120 A two-and-one-half-story structure, the brick house is a simple rectangle built upon a stone foundation.

[3]: 120  Its style is predominantly Federal, although the entrance is strongly Greek Revival,[3]: 119  featuring pilasters topped with Doric capitals.

[3]: 120  As one of Urbana's oldest houses,[3]: 119  and as the home of one of its leading early citizens, the Mosgrove House has been seen as historically significant;[3]: 120  for this reason, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.