Adams-Higgins House

Last updated
Adams-Higgins House
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1215 Grand Ave.
Spencer, Iowa
Coordinates 43°09′0.8″N95°08′45″W / 43.150222°N 95.14583°W / 43.150222; -95.14583
Arealess than one acre
Built1884, 1912
Architect J. G. Ralston (1911 remodeling plans)
Architectural style Classical Revival
Late Victorian
Part of North Grand Avenue Residential Historic District (ID14000212)
NRHP reference No. 84001214
Added to NRHPSeptember 27, 1984 [1]

The Adams-Higgins House is a historic home in Spencer, Iowa, United States. It is located at 1215 Grand Avenue. The home is also referred to as the Higgins House or Higgins Mansion. The house is architecturally unusual because it was built as a late Victorian style house in 1884, then substantially renovated in 1912 with addition of neo-classical porches and roofline. [2]

In 1984, it was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [1] At the time the property retained historic landscaping and a 32 feet (9.8 m) by 29 feet (8.8 m) playhouse from c. 1917–18. [2] In 2014 it was included as a contributing property in the North Grand Avenue Residential Historic District. [3]

History

The Adams-Higgins house, known locally as the Higgins Mansion or simply The Mansion, was built in 1884 by J.Q. Adams, a local farmer, banker, land developer, and 1889-1890 Spencer Mayor. Mr. Adams bought block 22 from his business partner for $350. The property (whole block) was sold in 1900 to Amanda Bender, who never resided in the house, who sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. William Higgins, newlyweds who had moved to Spencer from Chicago. In 1902 Higgins were sold the rest of the block. They contracted architect J. G. Ralston of Waterloo, Iowa to make the home an architectural landmark, beginning in 1911, by adding massive Neo-classical columns, adding a third floor, iron fence surround, and a kidney-shaped fish pond. In 1917 the playhouse was built for the Higgins children, who adopted off the Orphan Train when it passed through Spencer. For a short period, the playhouse was used as a classroom for children attending a nearby elementary school undergoing repairs. In 1947 the west 125 feet of the block were given to the First Congregational Church to build a new church and the playhouse was moved to its current location. Mrs. Higgins died in 1961, and the property was sold at auction in 1962 to Mathilda Delaney. In 1940, Mathilda had established the Delaney Nursing Home in Spencer and operated it until 1975 using the mansion as part of the nursing home. Mrs. Delaney occupied the home until 1983, when the property was sold to Paul and Paula Brenner, who successfully placed the home on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [4] The Brenners completed restoration projects on the exterior and interior over the near-15 years of their ownership. The playhouse was renovated in 1993 by the Brenners, and used as their antique shop. The home passed to Drs. Jon and Debora Hade. The kitchen was remodeled and the cabinets used by Mr Higgins were brought up into the kitchen, his handwriting can be seen on one of the shelves. The dining room boasts a mahogany sideboard that runs from floor to ceiling. The painted mural in the dining room are signed by a Chicago artist. The Playhouse which at one time served as a school was moved to its current location and the current garage was built. The current owners Neal and Kitty Conover, completed the renovation work in 2005.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garden District, New Orleans</span> New Orleans neighborhood in Louisiana, United States

The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the New Orleans City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south, and Toledano Street to the west. The National Historic Landmark district extends a little farther.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonnenberg Gardens</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park is a 50-acre (20 ha) state park located at 151 Charlotte Street in Canandaigua, New York, at the north end of Canandaigua Lake, in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. The house and gardens are open to the public every day, May through October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Village, Memphis</span> United States historic place

The Victorian Village District is an area of Memphis, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadow Brook Hall</span> United States historic place

Meadow Brook Hall is a Tudor revival style mansion located at 350 Estate Drive in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It was built between 1926 and 1929 by the heiress to the Dodge automaker fortune, Matilda Dodge Wilson and her second husband, lumber baron, Alfred Wilson. Covering 88,000 square feet (8,200 m2) with 110 rooms, the structure is the fourth largest historic mansion museum in the United States, and is classified as one of America's Castles. In 1957, the mansion and the surrounding property and buildings were donated to the state of Michigan in order to fund Michigan State University–Oakland, now known as Oakland University. The structure was named a National Historic Landmark in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayley House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Bayley House is a historic house at 16 Fairmont Avenue in Newtonville, Massachusetts, US. Built in 1883–84, it is a prominent example of Ruskinian Gothic architecture, designed by the noted firm of Peabody and Stearns. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dupee Estate–Mary Baker Eddy Home</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Dupee Estate, located at 400 Beacon Street in the village of Chestnut Hill, Newton, Massachusetts, was the last home of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnelly House and Gardens</span> Historic site in Birmingham, Alabama

The historic Donnelly House, an example of Neo-classical architecture, was built in 1905 as the residence of James W. Donnelly. Mr. Donnelly was an industrialist, manufacturer, real-estate developer, philanthropist, and civic leader. After retiring from Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, he moved south to Birmingham, where this magnificent Georgian-colonial mansion had been constructed, featuring over 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of living space and spectacular white marble floors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramsay-Durfee Estate</span> Historic house in California, United States

The Ramsay-Durfee Estate, also known as Durfee Mansion, Durfee House or Villa Maria, is a historic Tudor Revival style mansion on Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. It has been designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Dimas Hotel</span> Historic hotel building in California, United States

The San Dimas Hotel, also known as Walker House, the Carruthers Home, and the San Dimas Mansion, is a historic structure in San Dimas, California, built by the San Jose Ranch Company in 1887. Originally built as a hotel, the 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) structure had 33 rooms and 14 fireplaces. The hotel was built in anticipation of a land boom that never happened, and it never had a paying guest. In 1889, the property was sold to James W. and Sue Walker for $25,000. After being occupied by seven generations of Walkers, the property was turned into a restaurant in 1979. The building became vacant in 1997 and was later acquired and renovated by the City of San Dimas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James B. Duke House</span> Mansion in Manhattan, New York

The James B. Duke House is a mansion at 1 East 78th Street, on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The building was designed by Horace Trumbauer, who drew heavily upon the design of Château Labottière in Bordeaux. Constructed between 1909 and 1912 as a private residence for businessman James Buchanan Duke and his family, the building has housed the New York University (NYU)'s Institute of Fine Arts since 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mallory–Neely House</span> Historic house in Tennessee, United States

The Mallory–Neely House is a historic residence on 652 Adams Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It is located in the Victorian Village district of Memphis. It has been identified as one of numerous contributing properties in the historic district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine LeClaire House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Antoine LeClaire House is a historic building located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is a community center that was built as a private home by one of the founders of the city of Davenport. It also housed two of Davenport's Catholic bishops. The home was constructed in 1855. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tregaron Estate</span> Historic house in Washington, D.C., United States

Tregaron Estate, formerly known as The Causeway, is a country house and estate located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest, Washington, D.C. The estate, built in 1912, was designed by architect Charles Adams Platt and landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman. The original owners, Alice and James Parmelee, lived at the estate from the time of its construction until 1940. From 1942 to 1958, it was occupied by Joseph E. Davies, who had served as United States ambassador to several countries, and his second wife, Post Cereal Company heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Today the estate is occupied by a campus of the Washington International School and the Tregaron Conservancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Sansom Carpenter House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The James Sansom Carpenter House was significant to Des Moines cultural history from 1906 to 1939. The 13 acre property named Oakwood estate by its owners J. S. Carpenter and his Spouse Florence L. Carpenter because of the old growth oak forestation. The Carpenters' collection was deemed by art critics as one of the finest collections of etchings and lithographs in America. The house held the Carpenter collection of 125 paintings and 350 etchings. J. S. Carpenter was also known as Sannie or Sandy after his oddly spelled middle name. J. S. Carpenter, a bridge building magnet, founded the Des Moines Association of Fine Arts in 1916. The Association members each contributed $100.00 annually for the purchase of paintings and sculptures. The members also received a 25% discount on art purchased at Association events. Carpenter was known as the Guru of fine arts by the Des Moines community. Visiting artists and dignitaries came to Des Moines to sell their art and often stayed with the Carpenter's at Oakwood. Carpenter was president of the Association from its inception until his death of heart disease in 1939. The Association transformed into the Edmundson Art Museum in 1940 under the auspices of Association Executive member, and Carpenter's close friend Jay N. (Ding) Darling. Darling as President of the Edmundson Art Foundation merged the original collection into the present day Des Moines Art Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putnam-Parker Block</span> United States historic place

The Putnam-Parker Block, also known as City Square, are historic structures located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The property includes three buildings that take up the south half of block 43 in what is known as LeClaire's First Addition. The main façade of the structures face south along West Second Street. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. In 2020, it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. The former Putnam Building now houses a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel named The Current Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patterson Mansion</span> Historic house in Washington, D.C., United States

The Patterson Mansion is a historic Neoclassical-style mansion located at 15 Dupont Circle NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James G. Blaine Mansion</span> United States historic place

The James G. Blaine Mansion, commonly known as the Blaine Mansion, is a historic house located at 2000 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The imposing house was completed in 1882 for James G. Blaine, a Republican politician from Maine who served as Speaker of the House, and later as a US Senator and US Secretary of State. He was also a presidential candidate who was narrowly defeated by Grover Cleveland in the 1884 United States presidential election.

North Grand Avenue Residential Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Spencer, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 118 resources, including 96 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, 12 noncontributing buildings, and two noncontributing structures. The district is an 11 block area north of the city's central business district. North Grand is a tree-lined street divided by a landscaped boulevard, and features Art Deco light fixtures. Its design was influenced by the City Beautiful movement. The thoroughfare carries U.S. Route 71/18 traffic. The contributing buildings are houses, garages, and four churches. Architectural styles found here are Queen Anne, Victorian, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, American Four Square, Tudor Revival, Bungalow, and American Craftsman. Many of the buildings are architect designed. One of the houses in the district, the Adams-Higgins House, was individually listed on the National Register in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Codman Carriage House and Stable</span> Historic building

The Codman Carriage House and Stable is a historic building located at 1415 22nd Street NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The industrial building was constructed in 1907 as a carriage house and stable for socialite and art collector Martha Catherine Codman, who lived a few blocks north in her home, later known as the Codman–Davis House. She commissioned her cousin, Ogden Codman Jr., an architect and prominent interior decorator who also designed her home. He designed it in a Second Empire style.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 James E. Jacobsen (August 22, 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Adams-Higgins House / Higgins House". National Park Service . Retrieved July 12, 2016. with five photos from 1984 and two historic ones
  3. Sheriffa M. Jones. "North Grand Avenue Residential Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  4. Brenner, Paul (1984). The History of Clay County, Iowa. Dallas, Tex.: Curtis Media Corp. pp. 41–42. ISBN   0-88107-022-X.