209 W. Delaware Ave.
Project Overview
Architect: R. Harold Zook Year Built: 1940 Architectural Style: English Domestic
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Architectural Description |
| This unique English Domestic house was designed by Roscoe Harold Zook and built in 1940. Zook was inspired by the attention to detail of the Arts and Crafts movement but he also drew broadly on other styles of architecture. | |
| 209 W. Delaware is a small one-story asymmetrical house. From the street, a large steeply sloped gable dominates the façade of the house. Protruding wooden rafters are seen below the eaves of the gable. A large prow, or angled, window protrudes from the main facade. One of the main features of the house is the wave-patterned cedar shakes on the roof, a signature characteristic of Zook’s houses. The pattern suggests movement and whimsy and almost resembles the scales of a reptile. The roof shape resembles a thatched roof, commonly used in English vernacular architecture. Another feature of the house is the intricate brick detailing, as seen in the angled, V-shaped brickwork on the main facade. Rusticated stone masonry can be found near the base of the house as if the house and its stone are growing right out of the ground. Several of the windows are casement windows with wood trim and wavy wooden sills. Many of the windows are grouped together and wrap around the corners of the house. The intricate roof line and delicate details all work together to create this charming little cottage. | |
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Historical Description |
| University of Illinois Mechanical Engineering professor Dr. Reinhold F. Larsen and his wife Grace Larsen commissioned R. Harold Zook to design a house for them. Built in 1940, 209 W. Delaware has been owned by only four families. Stanley Slack and his wife owned the house after the Larsens, followed by Mary and Lee Bissey and finally the current owners, Stephen Downie and Deborah Katz-Downie. | |
| Stanley Slack was the owner of the Slack Grocery which closed in 1952 and the Slack and Bloom Grocery which closed in 1969. | |
Additional Photographs
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Map Locations:
209 W. Delaware Ave.
Urbana, IL 