[2] At this time, pottery was the dominant industry in East Liverpool, with potters beginning to exploit favorable types of clay soil in the 1830s, and several decades later, it was a deep part of the city's identity as well as its economy.

[3]: 5  Like most buildings in the city's central business district,[3]: 2  the house is a masonry structure: its foundation is stone, and its walls are built primarily of brick.

[4] After Goodwin left the house, it became the home of his nephew, Homer Knowles, who was likewise a major figure in the city's pottery industry.

[4] Due to the care exercised by the Masons in their 1910s renovations and few changes after that date, it closely resembles the grand mansion constructed in 1890.

[2] Many other downtown East Liverpool buildings were added to the Register at the same time as part of a multiple property submission.