Dutch Colonials: An Endangered Species?

 The big news in preservation circles this week is that Frank Lloyd Wright's Frederick Bagley House, built in 1894, in Hinsdale, Illinois, is threatened. It is always pretty amazing that homes like this survive at all: nestled in construction-heavy suburban Chicago, no historic protections, and relatively obscure. So it isn't surprising when a home like this makes headlines in preservation circles when it comes on the market.

Image of the Bagley House from the Architectural Sketch Club Catalog. 

While Wright's early work is receiving a lot of attention, a Dutch Colonial style structure by his first Chicago employer will be disappearing without as much as a whimper. Earlier this year, Joseph Silsbee's Frederick Greeley House was sold by a buyer that will be tearing it down to build a new home on the precious spot of land. 

Frederick Greeley House, Winnetka, Illinois, built in 1888.

Greeley and his brother in law, Thomas Copeland, developed adjacent properties on a hillside overlooking Lake Michigan in Winnetka. The pair are (were) remarkable survivors in an area that saw much development and over-building. Copeland's home saw a mammoth addition put on over a decade ago so it should be around for a good while more. Still, the loss on any structure by Silsbee is distressing.

J. L. Silsbee's Thomas Copeland House (1888) prior to renovation. 

Silsbee designed several homes in this style and it is very likely that Wright worked on such structures while employed there. The sweeping roofs of these homes is a feature that Wright seemed to be drawn to in much of his early work and the expression of roofs in general dominated the appearance of his structures for decades after. 

One Silsbee structure that seems particularly in tune with Wright's Bagley design is the home for Judge Egbert Jamieson in Chicago. The main body of the home has a similar, almost typical, Dutch Colonial form, with a porch running across the front. What makes it relate more to the Bagley are two large round forms that are added to the overall composition. A huge circular porch was attached at the front on the southeast corner and an equally large circular library existed on the north side. These spaces seem almost idiosyncratic, like the polygonal room attached to the side of Bagley's residence.    

Egbert Jamieson House (1888) once stood on Newport Ave. in Chicago. It was demolished long ago.

On the inside, the current condition of the Greeley home is decent with significant renovations to the entry and porch and the main staircase has been obliterated. It isn't one of Silsbee's more elaborate designs but some rooms are intact and many of the 1888 fireplaces, with their blue tile surrounds, still remain. 

Greeley fireplace surround in a bedroom featuring tile with Dutch motifs.

A tile surround in the dining room of the Greeley house featuring Asian figures. 

These flourishes, particularly the Dutch and Asian motifs can be found in many other Silsbee projects. of this type. Some still exist at his Arthur Orr home in Evanston and a beautiful fireplace still exists in Oberlin, Ohio at his home for college treasurer, James Severance.

Silsbee's James Severance House, Oberlin Ohio (1893)

Living Room fireplace in the James Severance House.

A rendering of the Greeley House was created by Silsbee employee Henry Fiddelke. Fiddelke was no slouch of an architect himself, settling in Oak Park and practicing architecture there. He is responsible for much of the appearance of Forest Park's beautiful Madison Ave. commercial strip and followed up with many excellent residential projects in the surrounding communities.   

Henry Fiddelke's Seaman House, Oak Park, IL

Drawings by Fiddelke in Silsbee's office. The Frederick Greeley House is at the center.

The numbers of homes that exist by deceased architects are finite. It is obvious but seems to require stating: there won't be anymore. Once they are gone, they are gone for good. While only a select group might be considered great works of art, all of them have historical significance with excellent character and design. The Greeley House has been well documented, as is required by the community before its demolition, but that doesn't make the loss any more bearable.     

The Chicago area has been my home for just over 20 years and while here I have witnessed the demolition of many Silsbee structures. At this point, I am not so surprised when it happens. 

Silsbee, the Arts & Crafts, and Buffalo's Parkside Neighborhood

The Parkside neighborhood in Buffalo, NY is probably best known for two things: that it was laid out by famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and that it is home to a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, the Darwin D. Martin House. A lesser-known history in the neighborhood involves some of its earliest structures and a prevailing interest in Buffalo for an American architecture inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House in Buffalo's Parkside Neighborhood.

The history surrounding the design of some of these early structures, beginning with the Church of the Good Shepherd (on the opposite corner as the Martin House), have been well documented by Ellen Parisi, Steve Cichon, and James Napora. I’ve added links to each of their names if you want to learn more. This is a closer look at some unique structures nearby.

In 1887, Silsbee & Marling were commissioned to design a church as a memorial to Reverend Edward Ingersoll. The church was developed with funds by local property owner Elam Jewett. The church design comes at the time when Silsbee’s connection with Marling was ending and Marling was beginning a new partnership with architect Herbert Burdette. The design was re-worked by the new firm and constructed as “Church of the Good Shepherd” to those designs. 

Marling & Burdette's Church of the Good Shepherd, constructed in 1888.

There are some differences in the two designs that are worth noting. In the earlier design, the entry sequence is less direct, taking the visitor through a long porch, with a 90 degree turn to the entry vestibule, and then another 90 degree turn to nave. The earlier design also has more variety, with angled walls at the chancel and buttressing at the end of each transept, a motif that Silsbee used on several previous chapel designs. In keeping with his other works, Silsbee likely had a stronger hand in the initial design as it was more varied and had a goal of allowing as much light as possible into the chapel interior. The executed design is more direct and removes the angled walls and buttresses. It also has more wall area with smaller windows, making for a more solid appearance. Being a former employee of H. H. Richardson’s, Burdette likely introduced these changes to create monumentality with a more straightforward approach that may have been the norm in his previous office.

Silsbee & Marling's initial design for Ingersoll Memorial Church from 1887. It later became Church of the Good Shepherd.

A rendering and plan of Marling & Burdette's final scheme for Church of the Good Shepherd.

Though the design approach to each scheme is slightly different, they share a goal in creating a substantial yet modest structure that was well crafted and inspired by Medieval precedents. Along with the solid monumental appearance, many architects were equally interested in employing like-minded craftspeople to construct and create decorative elements in these structures. While this in and of itself did not form an Arts & Crafts “movement” as it did in England, it did create working relationships between clients, designers, and craftspeople that had an affinity for European Arts & Crafts design and pushed them to create a uniquely American expression in that vein. These elements are apparent at the Church of the Good Shepherd, both inside and out. 

The influence of H. H. Richardson and an American Arts & Crafts architecture doesn’t end at Parkside with the construction of the church. It can be seen in the residential structures that follow. These include the church rectory and homes for William Northrup, Edward Kendrick, and Welton Shlaefer.

Map indicating related homes built near Church of the Good Shepherd by 1892. Four structures, including the Medieval-styled home of architect William Wicks are not discussed here. 

Soon after the construction of Church of the Good Shepherd, Elam Jewett’s nephew, William Northrup, constructed a home for himself at the corner of Crescent and Jewett. Northrup’s architect was former Silsbee employee and Chicago partner, Edward Austin Kent. Northrup‘s home was a substantial shingle style structure with the look and massing of a Queen Anne Style home. It has a stone base, ground floor made of brick, and shingle second floor and attic. Northrup’s home is gone but his shingle-style carriage house is still standing on Crescent. 

William Northrup House, designed by Edward Austin Kent in 1889, under construction. Church of the Good Shepherd is visible in the background.

William Northrup Carriage House, designed by Edward Austin Kent in 1889.

Kent left Silsbee’s office about four years earlier but it is clear by this structure that he maintained similar design interests as his former partner. In 1887, Silsbee began designing homes for the Edgewater suburb in Chicago and Kent’s design for Northrup has a remarkable similarity to some of that Edgewater work. The homes had a rustic and informal character, partly because of their planning but also because of their straightforward use of shingle and brick. Both architects still incorporated ornament into these larger homes, in spandrels and gables.  

Edgewater Home for John Cochran, Chicago, designed by J. L. Silsbee in 1887.

Soon after Northrup’s home was constructed, another home, built by a distant cousin, Edward Kendrick, was constructed next door, on Crescent Avenue. Kendrick was raised in Illinois but moved to Buffalo and was employed by Northrup, in his printing house, Matthews, Northrup & Co., owners of the Buffalo Express. Kendrick’s choice in architects is intriguing in that it is yet another former Silsbee employee, George Washington Maher. Maher had started his own firm a year earlier, after spending several years in Silsbee’s office. 

Edward Kendrick House designed by George Maher in 1889.

It is not surprising that the design of Kendrick’s home, while more modest, follows the same stylistic cues that were seen in Kent’s design for Northrup. Kendrick’s home is a beautiful shingle-style structure with a prominent front tower, open porch and large side gable. Again, taking cues from his work with Silsbee, Maher designs a sweeping roof that begins at the ground floor in the front, and rises three stories to the peak. To illustrate a point, I will call this the “tower and three-story side gable form”.  The overall appearance of the home is as if it is hugging the Earth. The simple forms and low eave also give the structure a strong monumental presence. Maher designed several homes in this mode.  

Two other George Maher designs that use a similar tower and side gable form that he used on the Kendrick House.

This tower and two-story side gable form is something that can be found in many architects’ work of the period but it is of particular interest here because we can observe how a “family” of architects used it in different ways. Silsbee used it again and again in his Edgewater homes and more importantly, it is a motif that ties together several of his Buffalo homes on Linwood Avenue. Kent employed the technique on his Curtiss House built in 1888 on Elmwood Ave. It is not necessarily a Silsbee invention but it is a planning technique that architects working with him would have been familiar with. 

Spec. Home for E. B. Smith (1886), Silsbee & Marling, architects, Linwood Ave., Buffalo.

George Fowler House (1887), Silsbee & Marling architects, Lindood Ave., Buffalo.

Henry Crane House (1887), Silsbee & Marling architects, Linwood Ave., Buffalo.

Dr. A. G. Curtiss House (1888), Edward Austin Kent, architect, Elmwood Ave., Buffalo 

After Northrup and Kendrick’s homes were complete, Church of the Good Shepherd began work on a permanent rectory for Clergyman Thomas Barry and has family. For this work, the church looked to its architects, Marling & Burdette, for a simple yet beautifully detailed design, again in the shingle style. This home has a unique double side gable (similar to the E. B. Smith Home above) ornamented with arched trim and varied shingle work. Like the Kendrick home, the roof eave begins at the front porch level and rises to the attic peak. Most of the front of the home is expressed as roof surface like the other homes that have been mentioned here. Instead of a monolithic tower, the front is punctuated with a bay surmounted with a square tower with a Paladian window at the center. A curved roof follows the form of the lunette on the façade.   

Rectory for Church of the Good Shepherd (1890), Marling & Burdette, architects.

Detail of bay/tower on Church of the Good Shepherd Rectory.

Marling & Burdette were commissioned for one more home in the immediate vicinity. While they are overseeing design of Rev. Barry’s home, they also designed a shingle style home and carriage house for insurance agent, Welton Schlaefer. Schlaefer was employed by real estate investor and perennial Silsbee & Marling client, Edward B. Smith (See the Linwood homes above). At Schlaefer’s home, Marling & Burdette do employ the tower and large three-story side gable form. It currently has a large porch across the front but that is a later addition and the home, with its strong front tower and second floor dormer, originally had a similar appearance to the Kendrick home and Good Shepherd rectory from the front.     

Welton Schaefer House (1889), Marling & Burdette, architects.

Welton Schaefer House (1889), Marling & Burdette, architects.

Schlaefer Carriage House (1889), Marling & Burdette, architects.

What is apparent by this collection of homes in Buffalo is that while Joseph Silsbee didn’t have any work executed in the neighborhood, he surely had an influence on the design of these homes there. With that being noted, it is impossible not to give some mention to the elephant in the room, the Darwin Martin house and its architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. While this home is of a different period and style, it is interesting to consider some of Wright’s earliest works in relation to those homes surrounding his masterpiece.

In Wright’s “Bootleg Homes” in Oak Park, the tower and three-story side gable form is used on one of them and the side gable is modified to a hipped roof on the other two. Knowing that Wright spent two of his formative years with Silsbee, it is no accident that he returns to his first Chicago employer’s work when he begins designing homes for himself and his Oak Park clientele. 

The Thomas Gale House (1892) on the left and the Walter Gale House (1893) on the right. These are two of Wright's "bootleg houses" in Oak park, IL.

The Walter Gale House from the front showing the prominent tower and roof that starts at the ground floor and extends over the top two stories.

Parkside continued to grow and develop well after the 1890's and like most American neighborhoods of the period, it is now a fine collection of Queen Anne, Shingle, Craftsman, Bungalow, and other revival-style homes. The Martin House is obviously one of these later additions. These early shingle style structures remain as a testament to Buffalo's earliest Arts & Crafts heritage and to the roots of Wright's early work. The neighborhood is unique in that respect and that it is one of the few places where you can see such a grouping of Wright's work with early examples of work related to his co-workers and associates from Silsbee's other offices. 

Ebenezer and Wesley Arnold: Church Builders

I always enjoy when my research interests collide. I first came across Wesley Arnold's name a couple decades ago, while cataloging the graduates from Syracuse University's architecture department when Joseph Silsbee was teaching there in the late 1870's and early 1880's. Several years later, I realized that I sort of followed in Arnold's footsteps, growing up in Syracuse and moving to Oak Park, Illinois. 

Last summer, I started to dig into Wesley Arnold's history a little more and became equally fascinated by his father, Ebenezer, an influential Methodist minister. This is a short post about the father and son and the way that they were each involved in church-making in the places where they lived.  

Ebenezer Arnold was born in 1816 in Bristol Massachusetts to Joshua and Elizabeth Arnold. Joshua was a school teacher and the Arnolds were devout Methodists. Elizabeth came from an affluent family and was disinherited because of her faith. Sometime before 1830, the family relocated to Oswego County, New York, eventually residing in Fulton. In 1836, Ebenezer married Lucretia Green.

It is unclear how and if Ebenezer was formally educated at divinity school but within a few of marying, he was appointed to the Black River Methodist Conference and them to Syracuse to be the first permanent pastor of the First Ward Methodist Episcopal Church there. He would eventually leave an indelible mark on the Methodist community there.

At First Ward Methodist Episcopal, he grew the parish to the point where they could afford to establish a substantial brick structure as their church. The congregation is no longer there but the church still stands today on Bear Street on Syracuse's North Side.  

Partial view of Lass' 1868 Birdseye View of Syracuse showing Salina (the First Ward). The First Ward Methodist church is in the upper right hand corner. Just to the left of it is the old Salina School. At the center left is Washington Park and the chimneys of the salt blocks can be seen in the foreground.

In the 1850's, Ebenezer's life reads more like a frontier TV show of the 1960's, complete with all the hardships and even a run-in with grizzly bear, as he traveled with his family to Northern California and Southern Oregon. In his years there, he established the roots of current Methodist churches by preaching in the open air and in make-shift churches to miners and indigenous populations there. 

After his time in the Northwest, the Arnolds returned to Syracuse and Ebenezer continued his work establishing new churches. A great account in the Syracuse Journal of his gift for forming new organizations can be seen in his establishment of the now defunct Rose Hill church in Syracuse. "In 1873 the Rev. Ebenezer Arnold, Methodist, held open-air religious services in Highland Park. He continued through the next summer in a barn loft in Hickory St. and in the home of Frank Frey in Lodi St. Conference recognized the mission in 1875, and Mr. Arnold was appointed pastor, continuing until 1877." 

Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, now gone, used to stand on West Street near W. Onondaga. The church was constructed in 1868, with some of the funds provided by L. Frank Baum's parents. It was designed by Horatio Nelson White.   

Brown Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Syracuse. It was located to this site on land donated by local bridge-keeper and contractor Alexander Brown after a sermon by Ebenezer Arnold in 1873. The church shown was built around 1875. Photo from the Tin Type Shop.

Arnold formed Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church and was influential in establishing the current location of Brown Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, both in Syracuse. He must have had a particular gift and passion for this kind of work but I don't believe we will ever fully know his influence. It was noted on his wife's memorial stone that the family moved over 50 times because of Ebenezer's work for the church. Ebenezer died in 1900, of pneumonia. Below is a select listing of his Church affiliations.

Black River Conference (Potsdam, NY) - 1838

Old First Ward Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) First permanent pastor- 1840

White Church (Potsdam, NY) - 1845-47

Yreka (California) Church Elder - 1855

Mount Shasta (California) - 1856

Umpqua Academy (Oregon) Principal - 1858

St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal (Onondaga Valley) - 1860

Methodist Episcopal Church Society (Weedsport, NY) - 1863-65

Centenary Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) Founded - 1866

Brewerton Methodist Episcopal (Brewerton, NY) Founded - 1869

Brown Memorial Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) - 1873

Rose Hill Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) - 1875-77   

St. Regis Indian Mission (Watertown, NY) - 1887

Because of his stature in the Methodist church in Syracuse, it is assumed that Ebenezer Arnold was also influential in the establishment of Syracuse University in the city. He is listed as Trustee in the 1870's.

The Hall of Languages, the first building at the present Syracuse University. It was constructed in 1871 and designed by architect Horatio Nelson White.

One of Ebenezer's many children, Wesley Arnold, began studying architecture at Syracuse in 1873. Wesley was born in Jefferson County, New York in 1851. He must have had a difficult childhood as he traveled with his family while his father preached in California and Oregon. Sadly, two sets of infant twins died soon after birth in California and another sister, age 11, also died. By age 9, Wesley moved to Syracuse with his family and was enrolled in public school.

In addition to his architectural interests, Wesley was musically talented. He assisted in directing choirs associated with his father's churches. He was vocally gifted and can be found on numerous announcements for choral concerts at various churches and at Syracuse University. He had a particular talent for double-voice singing, where he could sing the distinct male and female parts of a song, together, in harmony. 

Advertisement for a concert featuring Wesley Arnold at the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse in 1872.

Wesley finished his first degree from Syracuse in 1876 and then spent several years in training before receiving his Master of Arts in Architecture in 1879. At Syracuse, your final years of training were spent within an architect's office. During Arnold's time at Syracuse, he would have had two choices: the office of Archimedes Russell or the office of Joseph Lyman Silsbee. It is not known where Arnold studied but given that I know many of the names of students of  in Silsbee's office, it is more likely that he studied with Archimedes Russell. Both Silsbee and Russell were at the top of the profession in Central New York and any architect studying under them would have been exposed to a wide variety of work in all of the latest styles. 

St. Lucy Roman Catholic Church, Syracuse, NY. This brick Gothic Revival structure was designed by Archimedes Russell and completed in 1875. Photo from Dave Agresti's Pinterest site.

First Dutch Reformed Church, Syracuse, NY. This Romanesque Revival structure was designed by Joseph Silsbee and constructed in 1878-79. 

Wesley Arnold remained in Syracuse until 1882, when he was married and moved to Evanston, Illinois and began work as a draftsperson for the Chicago and North Western Railroad. By 1885, his wife had died prematurely, and he had established his own practice in Chicago and was listed as an architect. In 1888, he constructed a home for himself in Oak Park, Illinois. By the mid 1880's, Arnold had established himself as a successful architect and was also continuing his work with church choirs. He was particularly involved with what is now as the Euclid Avenue United Methodist church in Oak Park.     

Wesley Arnold's home in Oak Park, Illinois, constructed in 1888.

Image of a Wesley Arnold home design used in an advertisement for his Chicago office in the 1880's.

It appears that his first church commission was for his own Oak park addition, for a renovation and addition. It is unclear what the work looked like as I haven't seen any photos of it. Another commission from this era was for the Sacramento Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. It is his most elaborate surviving church in Chicago. Built in 1888-89, it is a tour de force of brick and stone. Unfortunately, its many turrets and towers have been removed but the exterior masonry is largely intact.   

The Sacramento Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1888-89.

Detail of arch and stone work at the Sacramento Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church.

Stone arches on the Sacramento Methodist Episcopal Church.

By the early 1890's, he had completed work on half a dozen churches for various Methodist and Congregational churches in Chicago. One of these that still stands in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood is the Fowler Methodist Episcopal church. The church is illustrative of his work at the time but since it is on a corner lot, it features a more varied massing and unique heavy masonry work. He adopted Richardson's Romanesque Revival style and added several unique elements that can be seen in many of his projects.  

Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church, in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood, designed by Wesley Arnold in 1891. The church features unique masonry details in Arnold's own interpretation of the popular Romanesque Revival style. 

Front view, showing masonry detail on Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church, Chicago.

One element that he often used is a large roman arch beneath a pointed masonry arch. The voussoirs that make the arch end up at varied heights to make up the difference between the two arches. The use of large fortress-like towers and elaborate brick and stone work add to the overall picturesque nature of his work. While many of his projects are in stone, the same motifs are used in his brick churches. An excellent example is the 52nd Avenue Presbyterian Church on Chicago's West side. 

52nd Avenue Presbyterian Church in Chicago's far west side, designed by Wesley Arnold, likely in the mid-1890's. It is a modest church with beautiful brick masonry detailing. 

Detail of window and compound arch on 52nd Avenue Presbyterian Church, Chicago.

Another solid example of his work is the Garfield Park Methodist Church in Chicago. In this church, the massing is simplified and facade is purely monumental.  

Garfield Park Methodist Church designed by Wesley Arnold in 1892.

Wesley Arnold died at a relatively young age, in 1900. Because of the lack of records, it isn't clear what his full body of work was but I have been able to identify at least 26 known church commissions. He left a legacy of religious structures in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs as well as projects in Indiana and Iowa.

It is fascinating to me how this father and son each made a mark on religious institutions in very different ways: Ebenezer with his foundational expertise and missionary work and Wesley through his church design legacy. Once Covid has died down a bit more, I hope to do a bit more in-person viewing of the places that these two men helped create. Stay tuned in another few months for a follow up.