James Omar Cole House, Second Empire style residence in Peru, Indiana.

The James Omar Cole House is a 1+1⁄2-story brick dwelling built about 1883 in the Second Empire style. It has a square plan with two projecting bays and a mansard roof with dormers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

The house was built in 1883 during Peru's industrial boom, when the town was developing as a manufacturing center. Its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 recognized its architectural and historical value to the community.

The house is named for James Omar Cole, the owner associated with the property when it was built around 1883. Its Second Empire form, with a mansard roof and dormers, follows a style popular for American houses of that decade. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

You can view the exterior details from the public sidewalk at any time of year without needing special arrangements. The house sits on East Third Street, where you can easily stop to observe the architectural features from street level.

The house's square plan with two projecting bays and a mansard roof with dormers is the defining Second Empire form recorded when it was listed on the National Register in 1984. The listing covers the dwelling at Peru, Miami County, Indiana, built about 1883.