It was built in 1878 for Reverend Elisha M. Lewis, a Presbyterian missionary who had been a chaplain in the Union Army during the American Civil War,[2] and designed in the Second Empire style.

[3] It was bequeathed by Constance C. Syford to the Nebraska State Historical Society in 1965.

[3][4] It is the oldest building on the UNL campus.

[4] It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since February 18, 1971.

This article about a property in Nebraska on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.