Bentley House (Springfield, Missouri)

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Bentley House
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Location603 E. Calhoun St., Springfield, Missouri
Coordinates 37°13′21″N93°17′6″W / 37.22250°N 93.28500°W / 37.22250; -93.28500
Arealess than one acre
Built1892 (1892)
ArchitectHackney, W.F.
Architectural styleQueen Anne, Picturesque villa
NRHP reference No. 80002354 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 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.

Contents

Architecture

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]

History

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Mary Newland Clary (June 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Bentley House" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 1, 2017. (includes 11 photographs from 1977)
  3. 1 2 3 "Bentley House | Missouri State Parks". mostateparks.com.
  4. "Our Story - History Museum on the Square - Springfield, MO". History Museum on the Square.