The house, built in 1797-1804 for George Read, Jr., was the largest and most sophisticated residence in the state at the time, and is a significant early example of high-style Federal period architecture.

Stylistically, it is an important early example of Federal period architecture, taking inspiration from several Adamesque houses built in Philadelphia a few years earlier.

[2] After Read's death in 1836, the house was rented briefly by John M. Clayton, another Delaware statesman, while he awaited completion of his new home at Buena Vista.

The second owner was William Couper, a wealthy businessman who had grown up next door in the former house of George Read I before making a career in the China trade.

Features of its design include brick walkways that wind between the beds, and two gazebos, placed by the Delaware Historical Society at locations of similar structures seen in late 19th-century photographs.

The Society has since undertaken a full restoration of the property, and interprets it primarily in the period of the Read ownership, although some rooms reflect the styles of subsequent owners.