472. W. Dallas Shermer House (FY 1893)
1312 W. Fourth Street
Contributing, ca. 1919
The Shermer House is a handsome two-story stuccoed dwelling with a combination of Colonial Revival and Craftsman features, a stylistic coupling found frequently in the West End. The house is characterized by a low hip roof with widely overhanging eaves, a shingled front dormer, nine-over-one sash windows, a French door entrance with sidelights, transom, and Classical surround, and a heavy front porch with tapered paneled posts set on granite plinths with a granite balustrade, The front porch is distinguished by exposed, shaped rafter ends topped by a plain parapet, a feature also found on the other one-story areas of the house (rear porch and wing, north side rooms adjacent to the front porch, and shallow south side bay), In recent years an iron stair has been attached to the south side of the house leading to a second story entrance, but this has not destroyed original detailing and could be removed easily.
W. Dallas Shermer purchased the property in 1917 and by 1921 was listed here in the city directory with his wife, Edna. He was a foreman at RJR Tobacco Company The Shermer’s occupied the house until selling it in 1938, and since then there have been no long-term owner-occupants. In 1965 the house was listed as apartments. (TR, CD)