Smith House

Carpenter Henry Durst built this one-and-one-half-story residence in 1907, almost certainly for resale. The transitional Colonial Revival home, one of the earliest and largest homes in the East North neighborhood, initially had only five rooms. Occupying two lots into the 1950s, the house stood alone on the west side of the block as late as 1927.

Ethel and William Wotring, who purchased the home in 1908, only lived here two years while William worked as a bookkeeper for the Northwestern Lumber Co. The couple sold the home to John Lebert, who sold ice harvested from the nearby backwater of the Stillwater River. In 1914, farmer Isaac Flinchpaugh bought the home, which he rented to Arthur and Theada Smith.

Arthur owned and managed the City Transfer Coal Company with a partner into the 1940s. The company, which delivered coal and oil, also advertised “Fine Furniture and Pianos Carefully Moved.” By 1920, the Smiths had purchased this home, where they raised four children. They lived here until Theada’s death in 1955.

Notable for its architecture, the residence features a wraparound porch, decorative shingles in the front gable, a side bay window, and leaded glass in the dining room, all characteristic of the Queen Anne style. The most prominent design element, however, is the gambrel roof. Associated with Colonial Revival style homes, the roof type—especially when built with dormers—offered an economical and commodious second story by providing a large amount of well-lit space without the added expense of second-story walls.