Shepard and Emma Farnsworth House

Last updated
Shepard and Emma Farnsworth House
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location301 S. 8th St.
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Coordinates 41°15′31.4″N95°51′20.5″W / 41.258722°N 95.855694°W / 41.258722; -95.855694 Coordinates: 41°15′31.4″N95°51′20.5″W / 41.258722°N 95.855694°W / 41.258722; -95.855694
Arealess than one acre
Built1886
Built byVincent Battin
ArchitectS.E. Maxon
Architectural style Queen Anne
NRHP reference No. 100002621 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 29, 2018

The Shepard and Emma Farnsworth House is a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Built by Vincent Battin in 1886, the two-story frame structure is an example of an asymmetrical Queen Anne style residence. It was designed by local architect Stiles Maxon, who was also responsible for numerous other houses in the city and three county courthouses in the state of Iowa. [2] The house features multiple gables, the original wrought iron ornamentation on the crest of the roof, cast metal egg-and-dart trim under the eaves, three chimneys, and four porches with spindles and sawn wood cutouts. [3] It also has stained glass, leaded glass, and etched glass windows and doors. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. [1]

Shepard Farnsworth was a native of Muscatine, Iowa who began his banking career in Washington, Iowa before serving in the American Civil War, where he was under the command of his future father-in-law. [3] After establishing a private bank in McGregor, Iowa with his brother, Farnsworth settled in Council Bluffs in 1869. He purchased a half interest in the stock of the First National Bank and worked there as the cashier until he retired in 1892. He married Emma Crabbe in Washington, and they raised five children. Farnsworth died in 1902, and Emma continued to reside in the house until 1920 when she sold the house to Judge John P. Tinley.

Related Research Articles

Council Bluffs, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Council Bluffs was known, until at least 1853, as Kanesville. It was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails, since there was a steam-powered boat to ferry their wagons, and cattle, across the Missouri River.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri City in Missouri, United States

Poplar Bluff is a small city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 17,023 at the 2010 census.

Farnsworth House United States historic place

The Farnsworth House was designed and constructed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe between 1945 and 1951. It is a one-room weekend retreat in what then was a rural setting, located 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Chicago's downtown, on a 60-acre (24 ha) estate site adjoining the Fox River, south of the city of Plano, Illinois. The steel and glass house was commissioned by Edith Farnsworth, M.D., a prominent Chicago nephrologist, as a place where she could engage in her hobbies—playing the violin, translating poetry, and enjoying nature.

Friendship Hill United States historic place

Friendship Hill was the home of early American politician and statesman Albert Gallatin (1761–1849). Gallatin was a U.S. Congressman, the longest-serving Secretary of the Treasury under two presidents, and ambassador to France and Great Britain. The house overlooks the Monongahela River near Point Marion, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Pittsburgh.

Grenville M. Dodge House United States historic place

The Grenville M. Dodge House is a historic house museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. This Second Empire mansion, built in 1869, was the home of Grenville M. Dodge (1831-1916), a Union Army general, politician, and a major figure in the development of the railroads across the American West. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 for its association with Dodge; in 2005 it was included as a contributing property in the Willow-Bluff-3rd Street Historic District. It is now owned by the city of Council Bluffs and is open for tours.

Joseph F. Bettendorf House United States historic place

The Joseph W. Bettendorf House is a historic building located in Bettendorf, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. Built as a private home, the building now houses a private school named Rivermont Collegiate.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Sioux City, Iowa) United States historic place

St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The church is located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

McManus House (Davenport, Iowa) United States historic place

The McManus House is a historic building located in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.

Hillside (Davenport, Iowa) United States historic place

Hillside, also known as the Charles Schuler House, is a mansion overlooking the Mississippi River on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties since 1992. In 1984 it was included as a contributing property in the Prospect Park Historic District.

Arthur Ebeling House United States historic place

The Arthur Ebeling House is a historic building located on the west side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The Colonial Revival house was designed by its original owner, Arthur Ebeling. It was built from 1912-1913 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Dr. Kuno Struck House United States historic place

The Dr. Kuno Struck House, also known as Clifton Manor, is a historic building located in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1996. The house, along with its garage, became a part of the Marycrest College campus and they were both listed as contributing properties in the Marycrest College Historic District in 2004.

Olson House (Cushing, Maine) United States historic place

Olson House is a 14-room Colonial farmhouse in Cushing, Maine. The house was made famous by its depiction in Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World. The house and its occupants, Christina and Alvaro Olson, were depicted in numerous paintings and sketches by Wyeth from 1939 to 1968. The house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in June 2011. The Farnsworth Art Museum owns the house; it is open to the public.

Charles E. Bell American architect

Charles Emlen Bell (1858–1932), often known as C.E. Bell, was an American architect of Council Bluffs, Iowa and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked alone and in partnership with John H. Kent and Menno S. Detweiler. He also worked as part of Bell, Tyrie and Chapman. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Bennett Building (Council Bluffs, Iowa) United States historic place

The Bennett Building, also known as the Ervin Building is an historic building located in downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. The previous building to occupy this property was a Woolworth's that was destroyed in a fire in 1922. The Bennett Building Corporation was formed in 1923 to build an office building that was designed to attract medical professionals. The seven-story, brick, Early Commercial structure was designed by local architectural firm Jensen and Larson, and the Omaha firm of McDonald and McDonald served as the supervising architects. E. A. Wickham and Company of Council Bluffs was the contractor.

J. Chris Jensen American architect

J. Chris Jensen was a notable architect from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He designed 773 buildings during his lifetime across several states in the Midwest and West, including five listed in the National Register of Historic Places. His family emigrated from Denmark when he was 8 years old, and he raised a family of four sons and five daughters in Council Bluffs.

Chieftain Hotel United States historic place

The Chieftain Hotel is a historic former hotel building at 38 Pearl Street in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It opened in 1927, the result of a partnership between the Eppley Hotel Company and local patrons, and was built on the site of the Grand Hotel, which had opened in 1891 and was destroyed by a fire in 1925. The hotel was eight stories tall, and featured 153 guest rooms.

August Beresheim House United States historic place

The August Beresheim House is an historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Beresheim served as the president of Council Bluffs Savings Bank. His house was built in 1899 in a neighborhood where many influential citizens of that city resided. It is next door to the Grenville M. Dodge House, who instrumental in establishing the bank, and they are the only two residences on their side of street. The three-story frame house is a combination of several styles. The dominant feature of this symmetrical-plan structure is its wrap-around porch. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 2005 it was included as a contributing property in the Willow-Bluff-3rd Street Historic District.

Martin Hughes House United States historic place

The Martin Hughes House is a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It is an eclectic combination of Gothic Revival and Queen Anne architectural elements, with influences from the Neoclassical and the Stick styles. The two-story brick structure follows an irregular plan, and features decorative art glass, terra cotta decorative elements, and a wrap-around porch. It was designed by local architect S.E. Maxon. Hughes settled in Council Bluffs in 1856 and worked as a contractor before he operated a brickyard. He also owned large parcels of land in both urban and rural areas. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

State Savings Bank (Council Bluffs, Iowa) United States historic place

State Savings Bank, also known as the Old Savings Bank, is a historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. the bank was established in 1889, and was originally located across the street. Planning for this building began in 1941 with the organization of the State Investment Company, which would build and own the building. It was designed by W.G. Knoebel and built by St. Louis-based Bank Building and Equipment Corporation of America. It is a late example of Art Deco, and it's the only building in Council Bluffs that exhibits this style. Two-thirds of the building is a single-story banking facility, and the rest is divided into two-stories of office space. It has one of the first drive-through teller windows in Iowa. The rectangular building's exterior is finished in gray limestone on two elevations, and a wrap-around continuation on a third. Its primary decorative feature is an inscribed harvest motif on the east and west elevations that are mirror images of each other, oriented to the north. The motif features a male nude holding a wagon wheel and a scythe, with sheaves of wheat and a dog.

McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Building United States historic place

The McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Building, also known as the International Harvester Transfer House is an historic building located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. The first railroad arrived in the city in 1867, and by 1898 there were 11 truck line railroads that terminated here. That made Council Bluffs an excellent place for the transfer and distribution of goods. Chicago based McCormick Harvesting Machine Company had this four-story brick structure built in 1894 as one of their branch houses. Those facilities acted as a dealership for the company's products. In the 1902 McCormick and four other companies merged to form International Harvester (IH). By 1922, this building became one of IH's four domestic transfer house facilities. Those facilities received large stocks of the company's products by train and distributed them to the branch houses. IH continued to use this building until 1964. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. June 29, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  2. Tim Rohwer (February 4, 2018). "Bluffs' Farnsworth House seeks historic listing". The Daily Nonpareil . Council Bluffs. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  3. 1 2 Mary Lou McGinn. "Bluffs' Farnsworth House seeks historic listing". Preserve Council Bluffs. Retrieved 2018-07-04.