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307 W. Elm St.

Project Overview

Architect: Unknown         Year Built: unknown Architectural Style: Italianate

 

Architectural Description

307 W. Elm is a simple, two-story, Italianate style house. The house is constructed of brick which is painted white. The house is rectangular with an octagonal half-bay/half-tower protruding out from one corner. The roof is low-pitched and has wide, overhanging eaves. Decorative brackets are found under the overhanging eaves. The entrances are covered by overhanging gable pediments which are supported by simple square post brackets. Many of the windows are tall, narrow, double-hung windows with windows sashes divided into two panes on the top and two panes on the bottom, four panes in total. All of the windows are hooded with a segmental arch. The segmental arch window hood has a decorative keystone in the center. All of these features are exemplary of an Italianate style house.
 
 
 

Historical Description

Not much is known about the early history of 307 W. Elm. One survey dates the house to c. 1855, a claim not born out by Berlocher's examination of pre-civil war houses. However, the residence record suggests that the home was built in the mid-1880s and that University of Illinois professor Joseph C. Pickard was the first resident. Matthew W. Busey, grandson of Colonel Busey, lived in the house from 1888 to 1932. During this time he was president of Busey Bank. Following Busey's death, the house exchanged hands a number of times, eventually being converted into apartments in 1942.
 
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- Last Modified -November 10, 2014 - 2:19pm
- Author - admin