U. J. Cleveland House, Historic residence in Mobile, United States

The U. J. Cleveland House is a 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame house at 551 Charles Street, raised on brick piers and built in 1853 in the Gulf Coast Cottage style. Its front door opens into a narrow hall, with the staircase running immediately up to the half story.

Built in 1853, the house is also known as the Thomas Smith House. The Gulf Coast Cottage style was most common between 1790 and 1840 in the former French Louisiana territories that now lie in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 1993.

The house is also known as the Thomas Smith House, a name that recalls an earlier owner. Its interior plan, with a back hall dining room, is described as unusual for Mobile, so the arrangement of rooms itself is the feature singled out in its 1993 National Register listing.

The house stands at 551 Charles Street in Mobile, on a raised brick-pier foundation that lifts the ground floor above street level. It is a private residence, so visitors view the exterior from the public sidewalk rather than entering. The narrow front hall and the staircase rising straight to the half story are best understood by comparing the street facade with the side elevation.

The staircase positioned right inside the front door creates an unusual floor plan that sets it apart from other homes built during the same period in the region. This practical design made efficient use of the small lot while still providing all necessary living spaces.