The Architecture
0f Grinnell Homes

A copied example ofalmost
every architectural style mu
be seen in Grinnellhomes,ac-
cording to Dean Joseph Wall.
The designs vary from simple
to ornate, some with modern
innovations.

The oldest house in town is
directly across the street
from Grinnell house. It was
probably built about 1856, and
heralds a very simple New
England design.

The town in its early history
was inhabited by many New
Englanders, and their irr
fluence can also be seen in
other Grinnell homes.Ahouse
typical of the New England
seacoast stands at 1126 Broad
Street. The house has a wi-
dow's walk, where seamen’s
wives were accustomed to
stand watching for their hus-
band's return from sea. (And,
of course, sometimes their
spouses never made it home.)

Only half of the J. B. Grins
nell house now exists. The
house was formerly located
near the site where the Mons
roe Hotel used to stand. Half
of the structure was moved
to its present 10Cati0n south
of the lumber yard on Broad
Street between 1880 and 1890.

The house, built prior to the
Civil War, had underground
tunnels connected with a park;
it is rumored that runaway
slaves were housed in these
tunnels for periods of time.

The Parslow home at 1222
Broad is a good example of
another popular style of the
Midwest. Essentials of Rich-
ard Morris Hunt's NeoV
French Renaissance design
and Henry H. Richardson's r07
manesque design are incor"
porated into the architectural
style; the Midwest version
usually wood rather than
stone.

The Kleinschmidt home at
1206 Broad is one ofthe oldest
homes in town. It introduced
the wide verranda and a low,
roomy inside to Grinnell.

The Cleaver home at 1226
Broad street is a mixture of
styles. In the early 1890's,
a photographer named Childs
designed the house as a weds
ding present to his wife. The
little porch on the second floor
resembles a heart.

Perhaps one of the most
elegant mansions in town, for
its time, standsat1527 Broad.
It was built in about 1912. Its
architecture is of the early
twentieth century consisting
ofa red tile roof, open rooms,
and an outside of stucco. The
wealthy family that inhabited
the house lost it during the
depression.

Grinnell House is an excel-
lent example of Georgian
architecture. President Main
was the first collegepresident
to inhabit Grinnell house. It
remained the President's resr
idence from 1912 until 1951,
and is now used for college
functions.

a”
i

The Voertman home at 1510
Broad was designed by Walt
ter B. Griffin, who was an
associate of Frank Lloyd
Wright. Their styles are very
similar, and houses designed
by Griffin are rare in this
country.

Griffin originally had in‘
tended to build six homes like
the Voertman home around
what is now Merrill Park.
There was to be a fountain in
the center of the park. Howa
ever, Griffin won an interna-
tional competition to design
the capitol city of Australia,
and left for Australia ’eaving
the Voertman home as one of
the last of his designs to be
built in this country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

magazine
supplement

October 15, 1971 Page 15

Grinnell House, above
Oldest House, left

1\cw England Seacoast House, below

Voertman Home, bottom left

House that caught the artist’s fancy,
bottom right

on by Miriam Burstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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