Gingerbread House, 405 South Ninth Street, Opelika, Lee County, AL

Significance: The "Gingerbread" House is located at 405 South 9th Street in Opelika, Alabama. This Carpenter Gothic style house is listed on the National Register as part of the Geneva Street Historic District. Duplicated almost exactly like the Penn Yonge House at Spring Villa in Lee County, the Edwards "Gingerbread" House is the only surviving Carpenter Gothic style left in the region. In 1936 the Penn Yonge House was turned into a meeting house for the State Park Services and it was at this time that much of its ornamentation and original style were destroyed. John Cahoun Edwards and his wife Sara Jane Griffin Edwards built the "Gingerbread" House in 1865. The Edwards were among the first settlers in Opelika. The house has remained in the Edwards family throughout its history. The "Gingerbread" House is though to be the first two story house in Opelika. It is of weatherboard construction, with stone and asher foundation piers, and a steep gable tin roof. The porch is supported by lattice braces. The curvilinear gingerbread trim is repeated on the roof eaves, gabled ends, and on the second story balconies. Inside the house is a closet spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The second floor windows have paneled movable aprons. The house has been vacant since April, 1988.
Survey number: HABS AL-991
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 87000981