In one form or another, all these homes are still extant.
CRD Publications
Category: Here, There, & Everywhere
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George T. Alger Residence
60 E. Fassett St. Wellsville, NY
The George T. Alger residence is a beautifully maintained “custom” design that exemplifies Barber’s artistic taste and design philosophy. It is a “must see” for any Barber house enthusiast. This design, although not published, was also used to construct a similar example for Mr. David A. Davis in Laurens, South Carolina. The Davis house was constructed first, so this example reflects some changes to the design likely to have come from a Barber & Alger collaboration. Barber also employed the use of the same tower finial as the one he created for the Joy house in Keokuk, Iowa, built around the same timeframe as the Davis house in Laurens. This home is truly remarkable and the current homeowner is to be commended for her respect and care for this gem.
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Unknown Residence
38 Broadway Fonda, NY
The Victorian house at 38 Broadway in Fonda, NY is a beautifully maintained example of design 128, as published in Barber’s 1892 pattern book entitled, “The Cottage Souvenir No. 2, Revised and Enlarged”. This home features a different style tower than what Barber published for this design, which gives it a taller, more prominent focal point as you approach the house, heading north on NY 30A. Unfortunately, I did not get into this gem to see the interior, but someday soon, I hope.
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Unknown Residence
252 W. William St. Corning, NY
This historic house at 252 W. William Street in Corning, NY is a beautiful example of design 28, as published in Barber’s 1892 pattern book entitled, “The Cottage Souvenir No. 2, Revised and Enlarged”. Miraculously, this home retains much of its original character, at least on the exterior. The interior could be a different story as this home currently serves as a rental unit, perhaps multiple rental units. Still, this home could be a wonderful restoration and preservation project, located in a nice residential neighborhood. If only I could find a billionaire who cared more about historic architecture, than say, littering space with useless automobiles. If only . . .
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Theodore J. Hook Residence
904 N. George St. Rome, NY
The Theodore J. Hook residence in Rome, NY is another example of a Barber design that appealed to the rising middle class of home owners, in the early 1890’s. Mr. Hook was a fire insurance agent at a time where fire was the principal risk to property. This design experienced a rather short period of popularity, so there are precious few examples left for our study and appreciation. The exterior of this home is slightly altered but could easily be returned to its former glory. I was not able to get inside this home for interior photos. Perhaps on my next trip to upstate New York.
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Martin T. Gunderson Residence
101 Gunderson Blvd. Kenyon, MN
The Martin T. Gunderson house is a spectacularly maintained house museum that currently serves as the location of the Kenyon Area Historical Society. The KAHS loves and cares for this gem. House tours are scheduled regularly so the house is accessible to the public. Trust me, if you are within 100 miles of Kenyon, you owe it to yourself to visit this home, and when you do, please support the KAHS. This Barber design borrows the corner box bay and tower combination from his earlier published design no. 128, seen in the revised edition of “The Cottage Souvenir No. 2”. This house began to appear in Barber’s post-fire publications like the “Modern Dwellings” series of pattern books.
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Barney Burton Residence
606 First Street SE Little Falls, MN
Barney & Josephine Burton built a smaller version of Barber’s design 01, as published in the third edition of the “Modern Dwellings” series of pattern books. This classic colonial home currently serves as the Welcome Center for the Little Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau, so it should be generally accessible to the public. If so, I would love for someone local to shoot some interior photos of this home for me, so I can add the photos to this post. If you are willing to help me out in this regard, please comment below. Mr. Burton was the proprietor of a clothing and dry goods store, making him a very typical (rising middle class) client of George Barber.
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William Gass Residence
67 Sugarloaf Street South Deerfield, MA
The Gass residence is a very rare, one and one half story version of Barber’s design 554, published in the “Art in Architecture” series of pattern books. This example retains a lot of original character elements although it could use some sympathetic restoration and preservation to keep it looking good.
Mr Gass was a carpenter/builder, so it is likely that he built this home for himself. It is unclear if he procured plans from Barber, or if he simply built this home using the pattern book as his guide. -
Unknown Reading Residence
389 Lowell Street Reading, MA
This lone Reading Massachusetts example is a slightly customized version of George Barber’s design 39, from the second edition of the “Modern Dwellings” series of pattern books. This home has a wonderful Entry Hall that presents a beautiful fireplace to you as you walk through the front door. This relatively small Victorian home is packed with character. The dormer configuration over the front porch is picturesque, to say the least. With the amber glow of its incandescent lights, at dusk, under a blanket of snow, Norman Rockwell should’ve been so lucky!
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