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East Washington Street Historic District
The artwork on the East Washington Street Historic District signs were done by Chelsea Kouns as part of the 2004-05
"Designing Place" class taught by Kathryn Maxwell at West Middle School in
Martinsville.
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Click
here
to view the
nomination for the East Washington Street Historic District. |
The East Washington Street Historic District, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1997, is located just east of downtown,
between Sycamore and Crawford Street. This residential district reflects
Martinsville's growth during the
late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The wide, tree-lined streets
and uniform scale and setbacks make this one of the town's most gracious
neighborhoods.
Because of the area's proximity to the
downtown area, a number of Martinsville's leading businessmen had their
homes built along East Washington Street. One of the district's most
outstanding residences is the Alfred Ennis House built for a prominent
Martinsville lawyer. This
Second Empire style house displays the
characteristic mansard roof typical of the style. Later additions were made
by subsequent owners, the Parks family.
Second Empire: Alfred Ennis
House (1871), 571 East Washington Street
The
Queen Anne is the district's
predominant architectural style and many fine variations remain. The
Raemakers House at 490 East Washington Street is one example. The house's
corner turret and decorative surface treatments are representative of the
style. The houses at 540 and 560 East Washington Street are more
modest examples of the style.
Stick and Free
Classic derivatives of the Queen Anne style are also found in the District.
Queen Anne: Raemakers House
(c.1890), 490 East Washington Street
Queen Anne: Houses, 540 and
560 East Washington Street (both c.1890)
Stick: House, 410 East
Washington Street
Free Classic:
Thornburgh House, 445 East Washington Street
The neighborhood remained a prominent
address during the early twentieth century. The Frank Branch House and the
Emmett Forest Branch House represent two very different interpretations of
the
Colonial Revival style. The Branch House presents a more academic
version of the style with carefully executed Colonial Revival style
elements. The Emmett Forest Branch House is a much freer interpretation.
Colonial Revival: Branch
House, 460 East Washington Street
Colonial Revival: Emmett
Forest Branch House, 510 East Washington Street
Several examples of eclectic revival styles
are found in the East Washington Street Historic District. The Dutch
Colonial Revival style, with its distinctive
gambrel roof, is
represented by the houses at 590 and 689 East Washington Street, while the
Tudor Revival style is easily recognized in the Kennedy House at 890
East Washington Street. Emmett Forest Branch served as Governor of
Indiana, 1924-25.
Dutch Colonial Revival:
Shireman House (c.1890/1910), 590 East Washington Street
As it was originally built, this house was
Queen Anne in style. It was heavily remodeled in the early-twentieth
century. It was the home of Eugene Shireman, owner of
Grassyfork
Fisheries.
Dutch Colonial Revival: Major-Miles House (c.1885/1920), 689 East Washington
Street
Built about 1885, this was the first house on this stretch of East
Washington Street. Like the house above, it, too, was remodeled into the
Dutch Colonial Revival style popular at the beginning of the twentieth
century.
Tudor Revival: Kennedy House (c.1940), 890 East
Washington Street, Martinsville
The East Washington Street Historic
District is significant for its number of significant houses representing a
variety of academic or high styles. However, there are also
a few
folk
and vernacular houses intermingled with the fine residences of
Martinsville's elite citizens. An unusual house that predates much of the
development of East Washington Street is the
double-pen at 930-940
East Washington Street. It has been adapted into a rental duplex. On the
other end of the street, at the corner of Ohio and East Washington Street,
is a nice example of a
gabled-ell
with
Eastlake detailing.
Both houses date to about 1870.
Double-pen: 930-940 East
Washington Street (c.1870)
Gabled-ell: House (c.1870),
409 East Washington Street, Martinsville.
The only public building in the district is
the Martinsville Presbyterian Church. This 1881 brick structure is one of
the town's finest examples of the
Gothic Revival style.
Gothic Revival: First
Presbyterian Church, 110 East Washington Street
The East Washington Street Historic
District once contained one of the many sanitariums that were built
throughout Martinsville. The
Home Lawn Sanitarium was founded in 1889
by Dr. W. E. Hendricks. Previous to this, Ebb Henderson had discovered
mineral water while digging for natural gas on his property. He quickly
established a small business in his home furnishing baths and lodging to
people. Dr. Hendricks purchased the buildings and land from Henderson and
established his own Homelawn Sanitarium.
The complex soon changed hands when Dr.
Hendricks' son-in-law, Walter Kennedy, assumed operations in 1912. Kennedy
upgraded the entire facility in 1918, doubling its capacity. The heyday of
the sanitarium lasted until after World War II. A brief resurgence in
popularity occurred in the 1950s, but the complex was finally sold in 1971
and again in 1975. A disastrous fire claimed most of the building in
November 1989. In 1995, the existing Costin Funeral Chapel was built on the
site.
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