Our next Landmark Property - Historic name Helen S. Nichols Home Street & number 703 North 6th Ave Description - Architectural Classification - Late Victorian Materials foundation limestone roof Asphalt walls wood clapboard siding other Wood Double Cornices/Tuscan Columns Narrative Description While Maywood was founded in 1869, the Chicago Fire of 1871 spurred housing construction in Maywood. Lots were sold, and sometimes donated, to individuals who agreed to build and live in homes costing at least two thousand dollars to build. Growth slowed in 1873, and then between 1880 and 1890 the population of Maywood doubled.2 Located at the corner of Chicago and 6th Avenue (originally 7th Street and 6th Avenue) on lots 9 and 10 of square 238. This plot is part of the original purchase of the one-and-three-quarters-mile plat along the Des Plaines River.2 The Helen S. Nichols home represents a momentous shift in production and availability of building materials and architectural accents. Prior to this era, working families built simple square or L-shaped houses in the national or folk style that were meant to serve as shelter but with little more. With the industrial revolution and expansion of the railroad network, it was easier and more affordable to mass produce and transport architectural elements. With the new advent of the railroad, anyone could afford the architectural accents previously only available to the upper class. This allowed people to add decorative details to an otherwise simple folk home. This home is a quintessential folk Victorian home that features Italianate and Queen Anne embellishments including double cornices, fish scale wood siding, Tuscan columns, and leaded glass windows on its otherwise simple box frame. 1,3 In addition to the availability of mass produced architectural detailing, limestone and lumber were readily available near the town and could be transported easily and with greater affordability. Therefore many of the earliest homes in Maywood, including the Helen S. Nichols home, are wood sided with limestone foundations. Much of the original exterior facade remains, giving the home a strong presence of historic style and materials reflective of early Maywood architecture while highlighting the new advent of mass production and railroad expansion of the era.1,3 The foundation was constructed using irregular cut limestone blocks to give the structure a two foot thick stone foundation. Other than maintenance and replacing mortar the foundation stand as stout today as it did when it was first constructed. Above the foundation is a slightly flared drip board 10” drip board with 1 ½” trim that leads into 4” wooden clapboards fastened with square nails over rough sawn 1 inch x 12inch timbers. While the home has been painted many times over it history the wooden clapboard remains original. The home features original wood framed leaded glass windows including one circular window on the north side of the home and a large picture window facing 6th Ave. Windows on the north, south, east and west sides have been replaced with windows of the same style and dimensions: 1/1 double hung. On the south facing side there are 3/3 evenly spaced and vertically aligned windows on the 2 ½ story front portion of the home. The wood frame non ornate trim and sill remain original. The home was built as a 2 ½ story box with a porch on the front and a 1 ½ story box in the rear that contains the kitchen. Both portions of the home have a 12/12 pitch gable roof which has be replaced with asphalt shingles. The front of the home is accented by a porch with overhang that is framed with Tuscan pillars which have been restored but not replaced. The railings on the porch and stairs have been replaced. The pillars frame a large an original leaded glass 1/1 picture window and the wood front door which has been replaced. On the front facade, the wooden siding extends two stories to the front facing gable where it meets the original fish scale wooden siding which resembles the Queen Anne style. This fish scale siding frames a four lite arched window into the attic, which is typical of Italianate architecture. The front facade is capped by carved Italianate double cornices supporting the gable roofs overhang. The rear of the home feature the original kitchen door. A low lying deck has been added but the location of the stairs down to the deck are the same as existed originally. An enclosure at the original basement entry has also been constructed with cedar board and batten and trellis work in compliance with IHPA. The difference in materials creates a distinct separation between the original footprint and modern updates. Many of the finish materials on the interior have been updated but the layout remains relatively unchanged. The interior of the home features original door and window casings and trim, baseboards as well as the original curved stair case and banister. The original arch between the foyer and the living room also remain original. The second floor room entrances have transom windows above the doors which have been restored to working order. 6. Statement of Significance Areas of Significance Maywood Period of Significance 1875 - 1900 Architect/Builder Unknown Narrative Statement of Significance The origins of the Helen S. Nichols Home and the village of Maywood are inextricably linked by a history of opportunity and change. In 1869 the Maywood Company was formed by a group of Vermont businessmen looking for opportunity to start anew after the Civil War. They found such an opportunity with the purchase a narrow one-and-three-quarter-mile strip along the Des Plaines River, where they would found the village of Maywood. In 1870, wide streets were laid out, 20,000 trees were planted, and building commenced on the north side of the Chicago & North Western Railroad. Maywood Company president, Colonel William T Nichols, hoped to create a “neat and desirable” suburb that would draw new owners to the village by selling a dream of home ownership. The very construction of the Helen S. Nichols Home represents a defining point in time that still stands strong today. At the time, lime and lumber were readily available near the town and as such, “most of the earliest homes—those dating from the seventies and eighties were wood sided on limestone foundations”. Thus, the Helen S. Nichols home represents the quintessential simple wood frame home of the period with a few Italianate embellishments. From these origins in Maywoods history, the Helen S. Nichols home continues its significance through its association with important figures of the time such as William Sharp, Francis Peabody, Bennett Botsford, Simpson Dunlop, and the Nichols family, the very founders of Maywood.2,3,4,10 The setting for the creation of the Helen S. Nichols Home begins with an era of opportunity and new development. The Chicago Fire of 1871 spurred housing construction in Maywood and lots were sold, and sometimes donated, to individuals who agreed to build and live in homes costing at least two thousand dollars to build. Although growth slowed somewhat in 1873, many people with an entrepreneurial spirit located in Maywood including William and Elizabeth Sharp. William H. Sharp was born at Milroy, Rush Co., Indiana, December 11,1853. He was educated at a Quaker Academy at Mount Pleasant, Ohio. Mr. Sharp began his career at the age of twenty-one in Cambridge, Indiana where for five years he was a dealer in sewing machines, agricultural implements and other equipment. In 1862 he moved to Indianapolis where he represented the Florence Sewing Machine Company as the State Agent. In August of 1863 Mr. Sharp moved to Chicago where he worked as general northwestern agent of the Florence Sewing Machine Company for thirteen years during which he also acted as the companys representative at the Chicago Inter-State Exposition in 1873.4 With his industrial background and entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Sharp was an ideal candidate to aid in the creation of a “neat and desirable” suburb. According to a publication in 1884, “Maywood has been his residence since March, 1874, his house being one of the finest there.” After locating in Maywood, William and Elizabeth purchased most of block 238 including lots 1 to 10 and 16 to 20 from the Maywood Company for the sum of forty-four hundred dollars. At the same time as the purchase, a Trust Deed for these lots was executed between William and Elizabeth Sharp and Francis B. Peabody, another notable character of that period.1 Francis B. Peabody was very active in law and political circles in New Hampshire as well as Illinois. While in New Hampshire, he worked in the law office of Franklin Pierce, prior to Pierces presidency. Peabody was a member of the New Hampshire governors staff and at one time represented his district on the Democratic State Committee. In 1857 Peabody relocated to Chicago where he formed the distinguished law partnership of Scates McAllister Jewett & Peabody. During this time, Peabody was closely associated with Abraham Lincoln in several law cases and Lincoln often used Peabodys office as his headquarters. Mr. Peabody was commissioned by clients in the East to invest money in mortgages on Chicago real estate so frequently that by 1865 he founded the arm of Gallup & Peabody to carry on this new business venture. The activity and strong financial backing of this firm contributed largely to Chicagos great growth after the Civil War and the rebuild after the great fire of 1871. Peabodys East-Coast-driven investment in the land that would soon be the site of the Helen S. Nichols Home represents the historic cultural trend which was largely responsible for the growth of Maywood.5 By 1882 William Sharp became interested in the cattle business out West. Following his dreams to the Wild West, Mr. Sharp s Trust Deed with Mr. Peabody was released and lots 1 to 10 and 16 to 20 inclusive were sold to Helen S. Nichols. Taking a considerable loss, the Sharps sold the lots for twenty-two hundred dollars, just half the original purchase price. Helen S. Nichols was Colonel William T. Nichols second wife and was ultimately responsible for the home which stands today. Helen was born in Tinmouth Vermont where she eventually graduated from Troy Conference Academy and was a pupil in Troy Seminary in 1851. Later, she studied French in Montreal. She taught in public school and French at the Troy Seminary in Brattleboro, Vermont. After her sister Thyrza, Williams first wife, and their daughter May died from Typhoid, Helen married William and Maywod was founded 1869 in honor of May. They had two sons:Edward and Harry. Colonel William T. Nichols died in April of 1882. Now widowed, Helen found herself with two grown sons and a large family home for just one person. In October 1882, Helen purchased lots 1 to 10 and 16 to 20 from William Sharp to build a new home for herself.6,7,8 By 1887, a simple folk-Victorian home was constructed on lots 9 and 10, and several of the other lots were sold to investors including Colonel William T. Nichols brother,Harrison P. Nichols. While the exact date of construction is not known, this home was constructed during the period between 1882 and 1887 evidenced by a mortgage in 1887. Bennet B. Botsford gave Helen S. Nichols a mortgage for twenty-two hundred dollars for lots 1-4, 9-10 and 16-20 in 1887, the mortgage states “all buildings on said premise to be kept insured for the benefit of B. B. Botsford”. Like Colonel William T. Nichols, Bennet B. Botsford was a color sergeant in the Civil War. 11 Bennet B. Botsford was born August 3, 1840. In 1862 earned his Bachelor of Philosophy at Northwestern University, after which he was taken into partnership with his father Jabez Botsford under the company name of JK Botsford & Sons. Notably, Jabez was on the first Board of Trustees for Northwestern University. After the Chicago fire Bennet B. Botsford became connected with D.B. Fisk Millinery Company. The mortgage between Bennet B. Bottsford and Helen S. Nichols for the home was released in July of 1891. In 1894, a Trust Deed between Helen S. Nichols and Oak Parks Simpson Dunlop was executed for just lots 9 and 10 for the debt of $1500 suggesting that there was considerable value in the home since the 15 lots Helen originally bought cost $2200. Simpson Dunlop owned a real estate and loan broker business located on 5th Avenue in Maywood in the First National Bank Building. Regarded as an expert in real estate and credited with the improvement in Oak Parks increasing values, Mr. Dunlop was “greatly respected by the community for his inflexible integrity and business ability and justly merits the success achieved by his energy and perseverance”. Yet again, the Helen S. Nichols home was connected to a forward-thinking businessman who represented the investment and entrepreneurial spirit responsible for the areas creation and growth. Helen maintained ownership of the home until her death in 1895; she had owned lots 9-10 and the home that stands there today for thirteen years. After her death, a Quit Claim Deed was executed between Harry Nichols and Edward Nichols in May 1895.9 Edward Crampton Nichols was born December 24 1869 in Maywood, the year the village was founded. He spent his early years in public school in Maywood and eventually graduated from University of Michigan. He married Grace Swift in New York January 24, 1884. He was admitted to the bar in 1893 graduated from Michigan College of Law in 1894. He spent time as the Director and Secretary of the Maywood Company as well as the Director of Maywood State Bank. He was President of Village of Maywood 1896-7 and again after 1903.6 Edward Nichols owned the home for the next five years until 1900 when he sold it to Anna M. Day for the sum of $2500. Edward died 7 years later on April 28, 1907. The Nichols Family owned lots 9 and 10 and the home which was built there from 1882 until 1900.The Helen S. Nichols Home is a physical representation of a time period of opportunity and change. The beautiful simplicity of its Folk Victorian design and materials represents the new advent of the railroad and the opportunity for home ownership, while the home is intimately tied to the family that made Maywood possible. Major Bibliographical References Bibliography Architecture Narrative: 1. Craven, Jackie. 1879-1910: Folk Victorian. About: Architecture.Web. . 2. Maywood Company Records 1869-1901.Web. . 3. Sidler, Scott. The Crafstman Blog: Folk Victorian Style.Web. . Statement of Significance: 1. Andreas, A. T. History of Cook County, Illinois: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1884. Print. 2. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. 0MB No. 1024-0018 Vol. , 1991. Print. 3. Guarino, Jean L. Maywood, IL. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. 2005.Web. . 4. The Inter-State Exposition Souvenir . Chicago Van Arsdale and Massie, 1873. Print. 5. Langland, James. The Chicago Daily News and Year-Book for 1909. Chicago Daily News Company, 1908. Print. 6. Leonard, John W., ed. Whos Who in Chicago and Illinois. 1 Vol. Chicago, IL: A.N. Marquis and Company, 1905. Print. 7. Mason Fairbanks, Mary J., ed. Emma Willard and Her Pupils: Or, Fifty Years of Troy Female Seminary 1822-1872. Mrs. Russell Sage, 1898. Print. 8. The Newberry Library Chicago Ancestors.org.Web. . 9. Origin, Growth, and Usefulness of the Chicago Board of Trade: Its Leading Members and Representative Business Men in Other Branches . New York: Historical Publishing Company, 1885. Print. 10. Robbins, Miriam. Cook County, Illinois Online Historical Directories.Web. . 11. Wentworth, John. Congressional Reminiscences: Adams, Benton, Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. Chicago Fergus Printing Company, 1882. Print.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 06:53:10 +0000
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