74. Jacquelin P. Taylor House (FY 915)
236 West End Boulevard
Contributing, ca. 1896
The Taylor House is one of the largest and most elaborate of the Queen Anne houses in the West End. It is a two-story weatherboarded frame dwelling of irregular massing; multiple gables, each with decorative shingle work and both pointed and segmental arched stained glass windows; a corner polygonal bay which suggests a tower; and a large wrap-around porch with a spindle frieze, turned posts, sawnwork brackets, and a balustrade with vertical balusters connected by alternately high and low horizontal connectors. The front door features sidelights and a transom. The handsome interior has paneled and vertical board wainscots, multiple Colonial Revival mantels including one in the front hall, four sets of sliding pocket doors, a spindle frieze separating the front hall from the rear stair hall, and a stair with a curved handrail and paneled newel.
The house was originally located at 865 H. Fifth Street and was the long-time home of Jacqueline P. and Sarah D. Taylor and their family, who owned the property from 1895 to 1978. Jacquelin Taylor and his brother, William B. Taylor (#160 – 915 H. Fourth Street), were partners in the Taylor Brothers Tobacco Company, a prominent local industry. Jacquelin Taylor was an active member of the Socialist party and worked for the betterment of the working class. Putting words into action, Taylor Brothers increased wages and reduced working hours in its own factories. Upon his death on December 9, 1916, a factory worker and fellow member of the Socialist Party wrote that “Comrades, our Elijah has gone to claim his reward.” In 1978 Summit Communications purchased the Taylor property to build a parking lot adjacent to its office building on H. Fifth Street (# 172).
In order to preserve the house, it was moved to its present site several blocks away by James Humphries. In moving, the house went from one to another of the West End’s oldest sections, where it continues to make a positive contribution to the architectural character of its environment. (D, TR, CD, SH, SJ, UR)