The William Stearns House is a historic residence in the city of Wyoming, Ohio, United States, near Cincinnati. Built at the turn of the twentieth century, it was the home of a business baron, and it has been designated a historic site. William Stearns William Stearns was a member of a family of prominent industrialists; his father George was a founding partner of Stearns and Foster, a company that owned a textile mill in the nearby village of Lockland and operated a mattress-manufacturing plant. Born in 1857, Stearns eventually came to head the company before his death in 1937. Historic context Good transportation is a leading reason for Wyoming's prosperity. The city lies near the old pre-statehood road that connected Cincinnati with locations farther north, such as Fort Hamilton and Fallen Timbers. Curves in the road were cut off in 1806, forming a new road that is today followed by Springfield Pike through central Wyoming. Improvements in the 1830s only enhanced its importance. By this time, another mode of transportation had become significant: the Miami and Erie Canal was built a short distance to the east in 1828, and the village of Lockland grew up along its side. Railroads reached the city in 1851 with the construction of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad on the border between Lockland and Wyoming. Because of Wyoming's proximity to the industry of Lockland, its easy transportation to the booming city of Cincinnati, and its pleasant scenery, many wealthy industrialists purchased local farms and built grand country houses. Most such houses were built in the Wyoming Hills area, west of Springfield Pike; growth in this area continued until the coming of the Great Depression. Architecture Built in 1900, the Stearns House is a brick building with a stone foundation and a terracotta roof. Some of its structural details place it into the Queen Anne style of architecture, although its simple rectangular plan is atypical of the style. The two-and-a-half-story residence features a pavilion on the left side of the facade and a large porch elsewhere on the front and eastern side. One wishing to enter the house will ascend sandstone steps to the porch, which features iron railings, Ionic columns, and an ornate balustrade. All of its architectural elements combine to make it one of the city's most prominent examples of the Queen Anne style. Historic site In 1979, a local historic preservation group