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Irvington's Architectural Diversity
By Paul Diebold

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19th CENTURY STYLES

Jacob Julian and Sylvester Johnson founded Irvington in 1870.  The two wanted Irvington to be unlike any other suburb of Indianapolis.  Toward this end, they traveled to Glendale, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, to see the remarkable neighborhood that resembled a public park dotted with grand houses, fronting on winding streets.  They asked their friend, Wayne County Surveyor Robert Howard, to emulate this idea for their Irvington plan.  To complement the winding streets, the first few generations of housing were picturesque and varied in style.

Julian and Johnson selected the French Second Empire style for their large houses near Washington Street.  Neither survives but these mansions set the tone for neighborhood’s first generation of housing.  The name “French Second Empire” was coined to describe the revival of French Renaissance architecture inaugurated by Napoleon III, France’s “Second Emperor.”  Architects revived the mansard roofed palace architecture of the 1600s for the rebuilding of Paris in the 1850s, during Napoleon III’s reign.  Irvington’s town leaders even chose to build the town’s schoolhouse in Second Empire.  Once located facing Irving Circle Park, unfortunately, the fire claimed the schoolhouse twice, the second time, totally destroying it.

Italianate was another popular choice for early homeowners in Irvington.  The name “Italianate” refers to the original inspiration for buildings like this, rural structures of the Italian countryside. Windows with arched or pedimented hoods, bay windows, and bracketed cornices were common traits of Italianate design used by builders.

It is important to remember that Irvington was a small town with a full range of people from many walks of life, as any Central Indiana small town of the era might have.  Carpenters, doctors, store owners, and professionals lived next to one another.  Not all could afford the grand intentions of Julian and Johnson.  Irvington has its share of vernacular housing from this period, simple frame houses arranged in a “T” or “+” shaped plan with porches.

The Benton House, 312 South Downey Avenue

The Benton House at 312 South Downey Avenue is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Built in 1872 by Nicholas Ohmer, the house is most famous for its long-term owners, Allen and Silence Benton.  Dr. Allen Benton served three times as the President of Butler University during the institution’s years in Irvington.  Silence was active in the Disciples of Christ – Christian Church.  The house is nearly identical to a design published in Bicknell’s Village Builder, a house pattern book published in various editions in the 1870s.  At one time, Irvington had at least ten other French Second Empire style houses like this.  Most were larger mansions.  This example has one story high brick walls, with the distinctive mansard roof housing a fully habitable second level in the “attic.” The window hoods are stamped sheet metal.  Though a classical style as envisioned by Parisian architects, American builders added their own touch of Romanticism, by using asymmetrical plans and picturesque detail.  Patterned slate on the roof, a tower, and tall windows complete the picturesque look.

Italianate on North Audubon Road

This house dates to about 1880 and is in the Irvington Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.  The first homes in Irvington during the early years of the community in the 1870s were brick.  Shortly after that period, more home owners chose to build in wood frame.  This house is Italianate in style, another popular choice for the earlier homes in Irvington.  The tall windows have wood hoods with small brackets.  This house retains its original wooden shutters, a welcome feature in the days before window screens.  The roof line has a characteristic treatment of Italianate buildings: a tall frieze or band with elaborate sawn brackets upholding a projecting cornice. This frieze also has windows to light the attic. Porches were common on Italianate houses, but, the porch on this house dates to the early 1900s and is classical in inspiration.

Julian-Clarke House on South Audubon Road

George W. Julian, brother to Irvington co-founder Jacob Julian, had this house built in 1873.  Julian served in U.S. Congress for several terms, most notably, just prior to moving to Irvington, Julian wrote and introduced the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving African-American men the right to vote.

The house is a classic example of Italianate, built in brick and Indiana limestone.  The tall windows crowned with arched sheet metal hoods, bay windows, arcaded porch, and bracketed roof line are trademarks of the style.

Eudorus Johnson House on East University Avenue

An unknown architect designed this house in 1876 for Eudorus Johnson, son of Irvington co-founder Sylvester Johnson.  Eudorus served many years as the Marion County Auditor.  It illustrates a less common style of the late 19th century, High Victorian Gothic.  Though its builder continued the trend of building in brick, he created a marked contrast with other Irvington homes of the period.  Two towers, one polygonal, one circular, and steep gables with ornamental stickwork bracing are noteworthy features of the house.  The bungalow type porch replaced a shallow first floor balcony with cut-out quatrefoil rail in about 1920.

Theodore Portteus House on North Irvington Avenue

Portteus was the town sheriff of Irvington in the late 19th century.  The architectural style is Queen Anne.  The builder’s love of surface ornament was common on Queen Anne houses both large and small.  Here, there are many different siding materials employed: several kinds of wood shingles, wavy siding, sunburst panels, chevron moldings, stickwork, and plain clapboards.  The color scheme highlights the material palette.  Porches were large on Queen Anne houses, sometimes wrapping around to several sides.

Belzer House on South Audubon Road

Francis “Chief” Belzer, founder of the Boy Scout movement in Central Indiana, lived here for many years.  The house dates to the 1890s and is Queen Anne in style.  Queen Anne houses were popular in Irvington during the 1890s.  Cheaper to build than the older Italianate and Second Empire houses because of their frame construction, many homeowners turned to this kind of house to meet their needs.

Free Classic on South Audubon Road

This house dates to about 1905 and is a late example of Queen Anne with classical influence, referred to as “Free Classic.”  Houses in this style have many traits of Queen Anne architecture, as does this house, but, the symmetry, classical columned porch, and many details, like porch frieze with swags in relief, are derived from classical architecture.

Queen Anne On South Butler Avenue

Built in about 1900, this pyramid-roofed cottage has basic Queen Anne elements, such as the porch and patterned shingles in the gable.  The pyramid roof form was a common house type for middle class housing, and this part of Irvington includes several examples.

Brown-Kincade House on South Ritter Avenue

Eli Brown, a high school teacher in Indianapolis, and his wife, Lucretia, hired carpenter Preston Litton to build this house in 1881.  The house is one of few in Irvington that shows influence of the Stick Style.  Similar in feeling to the Queen Anne style, Stick Style houses differ in the use of vertical and horizontal "stickwork" that divides the walls into panels or belts.  The exterior also features patterned wood shingles.  In place of the brackets that earlier Italianate houses might have, the builder cut the roof's rafter tails into ornamental scroll ends.  The wrap-around porch is a practical feature for coping with hot summer days.