Bentley House | |
| | |
| Location | 603 E. Calhoun St., Springfield, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°13′21″N93°17′6″W / 37.22250°N 93.28500°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Hackney, W.F. |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Picturesque villa |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002354 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 14, 1980 |
Bentley House, also known as the Museum of the Ozarks, is a historic home located at Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. It was built in 1892, and is a two-story, Queen Anne style brick and frame dwelling.
As with most Queen Anne homes, the house was designed with detailed exterior features, a prominent front tower, intricate trim and dentils, and a complex roof of gables and hips projecting at right angles and accented by several dormers. The semi-detached tower reaches the highest point with a conical roof and spire. Multiple porches, and a porte cochere, feature decorative spindles. [2] [3]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1]
J.F.G. Bently, president of the Bank of Springfield, constructed a home proposed to be "one of the grandest homes in all of Springfield." [3]
It was a single family home and remained in the Bently family until 1964 when it was sold to Drury College in 1965. [2] : 2, 6 In 1977, Springfield established a local history museum called Museum of the Ozarks. [3]
In 1993 the museum would seek a larger space and sold the home to a private resident. [4] Because Drury College is a private school, the home has technically maintained private ownership throughout its life.