857 W. Fifth Street
Contributing, ca. 1890’s
This two-story weatherboarded frame house is one of the fanciest late Victorian dwellings in the West End. Believed to have been constructed by Fogle Brothers builders, it features irregular massing, wood shingled gables with sawnwork gable peak ornaments, a “tower” above the entrance bay with a Palladian window, and an ornate front porch with turned posts and balustrade, a spindlework frieze with sawnwork detailing, and bracketed eaves which match those of the tower. The original porch wrapped around the east corner of the facade, but post 1924 (judging from the Sanborn Map of that year), that portion was enclosed. The original porch had turned posts (some of which can be found on the rear ell porch) like those on the nearby 1887 Jacob Lott Ludlow House (107), but these were replaced in the early twentieth century by Tuscan columns. The Tuscan columns were replaced in the mid-twentieth century by ironwork posts, and these, in turn, were replaced with the present porch details during the recent rehabilitation of the building. The interior features plastered walls, both paneled and beaded board wainscots, and a handsome open string stair with a ramped handrail and a spiral newel. Most mantels are period replacements.
The earliest history of this house remains unclear. The WE Brock family, who owned the property from 1895-1903, was the first to be clearly listed at this location in the city directories (1902-1903). The Brocks sold the property to Robert B. and Pearl Horn in 1903, and they owned it until 1913. In 1918 WH Maslin, Jr. purchased the property, and various members of the Maslin family lived here from at least 1920 through 1950. The Maslin’s retained ownership until 1985. (D, CD, TR, SM)
1907 Sanborn Map, page 15 at 857 W 5th
The house underwent a major restoration in mid 2016 after a period of decline and was a featured property on the West End Association Holiday Homes Tour in 2016.