Built for Daniel S. and Nancy Jordan, the Jordan-Nave House is believed to have been inspired by residential architectural pattern books, a popular resource utilized by home builders along the Wabash & Erie Canal corridor from Logansport to Covington in the mid-nineteenth century. Lafayette native and architectural historian Ben Ross of RATIO Architects cites Design XLVI in William H. Ranlett’s 1847 The Architect as possible inspiration for the structure’s general design.

In 1867, local farmers John and Hannah Nave purchased the house, becoming the first of five generations of the Nave family to own the landmark. Their son Joseph Shannon Nave, a prominent attorney and state representative, inherited the property with his wife Jane “Jennie” Rice Nave and raised two daughters, Margaret and Beatrice, in the home.

Daughter Margaret became one of the property’s longest stewards. She and husband, architect Louis Johnson, left their mark on the local landscape in the Art Deco-style 1937 Fountain County Courthouse, which Johnson designed under the Public Works Administration. Margaret, a trained artist who attended National Park Seminary in Maryland, was among the artists who painted the courthouse’s significant collection of murals under the tutelage of Eugene Savage between 1937 and 1939 as part of the New Deal’s Federal Arts Project. When Margaret Nave Johnson passed away in 1993 at age 111, her grandchildren and several great-grandchildren inherited the property.

Situated in the National Register-listed Brady Street Historic District in the heart of historic and picturesque Attica, Indiana, this nineteenth-century gem awaits a new owner with vision for sensitive rehabilitation. The unique Early Italianate-style house retains many of its historic features including decorative double entry doors, elegant main staircase, hardwood floors and trim, built-in shelving, a fireplace with decorative surround, and original windows.

The house is located on a raised double lot with brick entry steps and retains decorative brackets and wood shutters on the exterior. A full walk-out lower level on the rear south façade provides immediate access to a spacious wooded yard and garden areas. The Jordan-Nave House offers 5 bedrooms and 2 full baths, as well as dining room, library, and living room.

Located just a few blocks from public library, downtown Attica, city parks, and Harrison Hills Country Club. The property is little more than a 30-minute drive from Purdue University and downtown Lafayette, less than 1.5 hours from central Indianapolis, and just over 2 hours from downtown Chicago.

Indiana Landmarks is marketing the Jordan-Nave House through an option agreement with the owner. The property will need investment, including repairs to masonry, windows, and doors, a new kitchen, and upgrades to bathrooms and mechanical systems. The property will be sold as-is with protective covenants held by Indiana Landmarks to ensure its long-term preservation.