Archive For September 27, 2017
223 E. North Street, Du Quoin, IL
The Boeheim residence is one of several Barber house examples located in Du Quoin. The Boeheim example of this particular design appears to be a later, somewhat simplified version of the design. The current homeowner graciously allowed me to digitally scan her original Barber artifacts (drawings, specifications, and bill of materials), before donating them all to the McClung Historical Collection in Knoxville, Tennessee.
723 W. Prairie Avenue, Decatur, IL
The Johnson residence was, at one point, a beautiful example of this very popular Barber design. The HARGIS photo is from the 1970’s and even then, it had already lost a significant part of its architectural character. I can’t understand how anyone in their right mind, could let something so beautiful, go to waste. Such a shame to have lost this gem. At least Decatur is blessed with other extant examples of Barber’s work.
239 S. Main Street, Sheffield, IL
Village Hall was designed by George Barber in 1908 and built in 1909. Barber may have had an inside track on being selected as the architect for the project because one of the councilman involved with the project was a former Barber client, having built a Barber deigned home back in 1895, just down the street.
905 Williams Avenue, Natchitoches, LA
The Williams residence is a spectacular example of Barber’s design 16, as published in the second (1899) edition of “Modern Dwellings”. Mr. Williams was a successful banker and by all accounts, his home has been well preserved. I am still working on obtaining some interior shots of this beauty. Soon, I hope.
725 Austin Place, Shreveport, LA
The Logan residence is a stellar example of Barber’s design 250, as published in the 1897 edition of “Homes Illustrated”. Mr. Logan was a proprietor of beer and ice which, down south, made him quite wealthy. As you can see, my documentation of this grand home consists of low-resolution photos available from waymarking.com. Anyone capable of shooting some high-resolution photos for me, please comment here. Thanks.
322 E. Second Street, Thibodaux, LA
This custom design does not match any published design that I am aware of. It was created for Mr. Eugene G Robichaux, a sugar plantation owner, and constructed in 1898. It is one of the several examples of Barber-designed homes built in Thibodeaux.
1811 W. Yakima Lane, Yakima, WA
This 1906 example of design 65 from the second edition of “Modern Dwellings” was built for Adelbert E. Larson, a proprietor of a lumber business. In this example, Barber flipped the tower to be between the two portico elements. Barber diligently encouraged his clients to work with him to customize each home, so that it could be tailored to each families specific needs.
2501 N. Washington Street, Tacoma, WA
In 1905, Barber published this design under the moniker “Moderate Price Colonial Home” and was advertised to cost between $8,500 and 10,000 to construct as designed. This was a “classic colonial” design from Barber’s collection of colonial renaissance designs that began to appear shortly after 1900, in response to the changing tastes of architectural design.