Elizabeth Place
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Place, or the Henry Bond Fargo House, is a historic residence in Geneva
, Illinois
in the Mission Revival
style. The house was owned by Henry Bond Fargo, a prominent local businessmen who brought several early industries to Geneva. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2008.
, New York
before his family moved west to Delavan
, Wisconsin
. Fargo was the fourth cousin, once removed of William George Fargo, one of the founders of Wells Fargo and Company. After again relocating to Fond du Lac, Fargo began to work in real estate. He was successful in these endeavors, and E. A. Cummings and Co., the largest real estate business in Chicago
, Illinois
, offered him a position as a principal salesman, which he accepted. He moved to the far suburb of Geneva
in 1887 to continue his career. Fargo ordered the construction of a new house in 1898 just west of the Fox River
. It took two years to complete the house; in the meantime, Fargo's wife Annie Elizabeth Fargo died in 1899. In her honor, he named the new dwelling Elizabeth Place. Fargo was elected Geneva's mayor
in 1903 and served for a full year; he was later re-elected mayor from 1907 to 1910. Two years later, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives
and served a two-year term. In 1919, he petitioned Geneva to rename the street of his residence Elizabeth Place to match the house's name. Throughout his life in Geneva, he was instrumental in bringing industry to the area as the president of the First National Bank of Geneva. Real estate developments commissioned by Fargo include the Fargo Block on West State Street, the Cheever Addition, the Fargo Theatre Building, and a half-mile horse racing track. Henry Bond Fargo was a lifelong Freemason, and offered his home to the Masons upon his death in 1932. However, his descendents stuck a deal with the Masons to instead donate a separate property at State and Second Streets, and the house remained in the family. The residence and coach house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 12, 2008.
style residence. Most early residences in Geneva were either of Greek Revival or Italianate influence, making Elizabeth Place architecturally distinct in the immediate area. Inspired by Spanish missions in California
, the style eventually spread throughout the nation in the early 20th century. The property features a residence, a coach house (a contributing property to the nomination), a wood frame garage
, terraces, and a small creek. The house features parapet
s inspired by Spanish churches with Palladian
windows on the south, west, and east sides. The roof is of red clay tile from Ludowici Roof Tile, Inc. Most of the exterior is locally-quarried limestone
in a soldier course
. A wrap-around porch
is screened on the east side and open on the south side. This porch was reconstructed in 2006 based on photographs from the 1940s. A second porch was added in 2006 to allow access to the first floor from the north side. The south side has four single hung windows and a large entrance door with sidelights. A chimney breaks through the roof of the west side.
The basement
is accessed through the kitchen
and features a walk out door to the north side to grade. The first floor is centered around a stair hall with stairs to the second floor. This hall has a large wood entrance door with a large glass light. An oversized oak newel
with an ornate cap features in the center of the staircase, which has large wood baluster
s. Most of the first floor maintains its historic integrity except for the kitchen, which was also remodeled in 2006. The living room is to the east of the stair hall with a fireplace, a coffer
ed ceiling, and a hardwood floor. A five-paneled door leads to the dining room, which is similarly themed (with no fireplace). The family parlor is to the west of the entrance with built-in bookshelves, paneled walls, a coffered ceiling, and a wood floor. The west and south sides of the room each have two single hung windows. On the second floor, the stair hall features a large sitting area. The northeast corner room, originally a bedroom, was converted into the master bathroom. A second bathroom along the back hall was original before being remodeled in the 1920s or 1930s. The two south bedrooms each have a large window. A small, secondary staircase leads from the back hall to the kitchen, and a third staircase leads to the third floor ballroom. This floor was originally open and unfinished, but has since been remodeled to fit a bedroom, a bathroom and an open space with a fireplace.
The coach house is 30 square feet (2.8 m²) with a four-sided gable
asphalt shingle roof. A stone walled courtyard, built around 1940, lies to the east, visually connecting the coach house to the main house. The coach house has thirteen double hung windows. The west side originally featured a garage door but was replaces for two large French doors with sidelights. The first floor is now used as a home office. A staircase leads to a small bedroom. A door on the east leads to the courtyard. A standalone garage was built in the early 1990s, featuring a single and a double garage door. The roof and the window patterns match the coach house.
Geneva, Illinois
Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in the Mission Revival
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
style. The house was owned by Henry Bond Fargo, a prominent local businessmen who brought several early industries to Geneva. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2008.
History
Henry Bond Fargo was born in 1843 in WarsawWarsaw (village), New York
Warsaw is a village in Wyoming County, New York in the USA. It is the county seat of Wyoming County and lies inside the Town of Warsaw. The village of Warsaw is near the center of the town in a valley. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. A branch of Genesee Community College is in Warsaw.-...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
before his family moved west to Delavan
Delavan, Wisconsin
Delavan is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,463 at the 2010 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Delavan.-Economy:Delavan is home to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, and Andes Candies.-History:...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Fargo was the fourth cousin, once removed of William George Fargo, one of the founders of Wells Fargo and Company. After again relocating to Fond du Lac, Fargo began to work in real estate. He was successful in these endeavors, and E. A. Cummings and Co., the largest real estate business in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, offered him a position as a principal salesman, which he accepted. He moved to the far suburb of Geneva
Geneva, Illinois
Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...
in 1887 to continue his career. Fargo ordered the construction of a new house in 1898 just west of the Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
. It took two years to complete the house; in the meantime, Fargo's wife Annie Elizabeth Fargo died in 1899. In her honor, he named the new dwelling Elizabeth Place. Fargo was elected Geneva's mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in 1903 and served for a full year; he was later re-elected mayor from 1907 to 1910. Two years later, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
and served a two-year term. In 1919, he petitioned Geneva to rename the street of his residence Elizabeth Place to match the house's name. Throughout his life in Geneva, he was instrumental in bringing industry to the area as the president of the First National Bank of Geneva. Real estate developments commissioned by Fargo include the Fargo Block on West State Street, the Cheever Addition, the Fargo Theatre Building, and a half-mile horse racing track. Henry Bond Fargo was a lifelong Freemason, and offered his home to the Masons upon his death in 1932. However, his descendents stuck a deal with the Masons to instead donate a separate property at State and Second Streets, and the house remained in the family. The residence and coach house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 12, 2008.
Architecture
Elizabeth Place is an example of a Mission RevivalMission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
style residence. Most early residences in Geneva were either of Greek Revival or Italianate influence, making Elizabeth Place architecturally distinct in the immediate area. Inspired by Spanish missions in California
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
, the style eventually spread throughout the nation in the early 20th century. The property features a residence, a coach house (a contributing property to the nomination), a wood frame garage
Garage (house)
A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
, terraces, and a small creek. The house features parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s inspired by Spanish churches with Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
windows on the south, west, and east sides. The roof is of red clay tile from Ludowici Roof Tile, Inc. Most of the exterior is locally-quarried limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
in a soldier course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
. A wrap-around porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
is screened on the east side and open on the south side. This porch was reconstructed in 2006 based on photographs from the 1940s. A second porch was added in 2006 to allow access to the first floor from the north side. The south side has four single hung windows and a large entrance door with sidelights. A chimney breaks through the roof of the west side.
The basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
is accessed through the kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
and features a walk out door to the north side to grade. The first floor is centered around a stair hall with stairs to the second floor. This hall has a large wood entrance door with a large glass light. An oversized oak newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
with an ornate cap features in the center of the staircase, which has large wood baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s. Most of the first floor maintains its historic integrity except for the kitchen, which was also remodeled in 2006. The living room is to the east of the stair hall with a fireplace, a coffer
Coffer
A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
ed ceiling, and a hardwood floor. A five-paneled door leads to the dining room, which is similarly themed (with no fireplace). The family parlor is to the west of the entrance with built-in bookshelves, paneled walls, a coffered ceiling, and a wood floor. The west and south sides of the room each have two single hung windows. On the second floor, the stair hall features a large sitting area. The northeast corner room, originally a bedroom, was converted into the master bathroom. A second bathroom along the back hall was original before being remodeled in the 1920s or 1930s. The two south bedrooms each have a large window. A small, secondary staircase leads from the back hall to the kitchen, and a third staircase leads to the third floor ballroom. This floor was originally open and unfinished, but has since been remodeled to fit a bedroom, a bathroom and an open space with a fireplace.
The coach house is 30 square feet (2.8 m²) with a four-sided gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
asphalt shingle roof. A stone walled courtyard, built around 1940, lies to the east, visually connecting the coach house to the main house. The coach house has thirteen double hung windows. The west side originally featured a garage door but was replaces for two large French doors with sidelights. The first floor is now used as a home office. A staircase leads to a small bedroom. A door on the east leads to the courtyard. A standalone garage was built in the early 1990s, featuring a single and a double garage door. The roof and the window patterns match the coach house.