 The house was built on land belonging to the family of Ohio Governor Othniel Looker, whose granddaughter Emily had married Jehu John in 1828.Built in a combination of brick and stone with a tin roof, the John House was a simple one-and-a-half-story house with narrow gabled ends and a wide front; no windows were placed on the ends, while the front featured a doorway with two windows on each side.The basic floor plan was that of the letter "T", with the long end to the rear.