K. C. DeRhodes House
Encyclopedia
The K. C. DeRhodes House is a classic 1906 Frank Lloyd Wright
Prairie style home located at 715 West Washington Avenue in South Bend, Indiana
. The home has been carefully restored by its current owners over more than two decades and remains in private ownership. It is one of two Wright homes in South Bend, the other being the Herman T. Mossberg Residence
.
In 1906, newlyweds Laura Caskey Bowsher DeRhodes and Kersey C. DeRhodes built a two-story house in South Bend, Indiana, designed for them in the Oak Park studio of Frank Lloyd Wright.
. The main floor of the house is one large, rectangular space oriented south to north, that is subdivided by piers and low bookcases with light screens into three spaces, a reception area, a large living room with fireplace toward the south (front) of the house and a large dining room with Wright's customary built in china cabinets toward the (north) rear of the house. An entry/foyer to the east and the stairway and kitchen wing to the west extend the plan into a cruciform shape. Terraces protected by low walls at the north and south ends of the house extend the living space into the surrounding landscape.
The exterior of the DeRhodes house exhibits many of the features associated with Wright's Prairie School
architecture. The stucco exterior with wood trim, the strong water table, the pronounced horizontal lines of the continuous window sills and terrace parapets, the leaded glass "light screens" of the windows, the grouping of the windows into continuous bands and the low-profile hip roof.
The celebrated rendering of the DeRhodes house by Wright's assistant Marion Mahony Griffin
is considered by scholars to be among the best to emerge from the Oak Park Studio, and was thought so by Wright himself, who inscribed it "Drawn by Mahony after FLLW and Hiroshige".
Laura Caskey was born in Ligonier, Indiana
, the daughter of Lutheran
clergyman Curtis Caskey and his wife Margaret. Before her marriage to Kersey C. DeRhodes, Laura Caskey was the second wife of South Bend industrialist-millionaire Nelson Prentice Bowsher (1845-1898). Bowsher rose from being an inventor and master mechanic at the Oliver Chilled Plow Works to the proprietor of his own manufacturing business, N. P. Bowsher. By his first wife, Clarissa C. Hostetter, Bowsher had two sons, Delavan Denis Bowsher and Jay C. Bowsher. Prior to her marriage to DeRhodes, Laura lived in the Bowsher family mansion at 805 West Washington, South Bend.
Kersey C. DeRhodes was born in Fairfield, Ohio, the son of farmer David and his wife Madi DeRhodes. After coming to South Bend in 1901, DeRhodes served as the cashier of the Merchant's National Bank (later the National Bank). He also served as the treasurer of the Williams-Forrest Machine Company. His residence before his marriage to Laura C. Bowsher was at 329 West Colfax Avenue, now the site of the First Presbyterian Church of South Bend. From a prior marriage, he had one daughter, Hazel M. DeRhodes (July 10, 1888 - January 1975), who lived with Kersey and Laura DeRhodes in their Wright designed home before moving to Detroit, Michigan
, as an adult.
In early 1906, Laura C. Bowsher visited with her South Bend friend Isabel Roberts
(of the Isabel Roberts House
) in Berwyn, Illinois
. Isabel was an architectural designer and draughtsman in Wright's Oak Park Studio
and through Isabel, Laura met architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who was at the peak of his acclaim with the success of his prairie houses. She commissioned Wright's Oak Park studio to design a house for her to be located at 715 West Washington Avenue, which was to be completed in time to move into it with her new husband. Isabel Roberts stated that she was the designer of this house, although since it came from Wright's studio it has always been attributed to him.
On September 22, 1906, in Berwyn, Illinois, Laura Caskey Bowsher and Kersey C. DeRhodes were married; the officiating minister was Frank Lloyd Wright's uncle, the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones.
Laura and Kersey DeRhodes lived in their Wright-designed house the rest of their lives; they were South Bend social and civic leaders. DeRhodes' later business pursuits included the Vernon Clothing Company, the DeRhodes Motor Company (selling Dodge
automobiles and Graham trucks). The DeRhodes were members of the First Methodist Church of South Bend. Laura was a member of the Progress Club.
Laura DeRhodes was still living in the house in 1940 when she was interviewed by Wright researcher Grant Manson, whose notes of the interview are in the Oak Park, Illinois public library. Laura continued to live in the house until the time of her death. Both are buried in the Highland Cemetery Mausoleum, South Bend.
"Shortly after Laura Bowsher's death," the current owner says, "Frank Lloyd Wright visited South Bend to deliver a lecture at the University of Notre Dame
. He tried to buy back the original items from the home." Instead, contents went to Laura's four principal heirs.
In her will, Laura DeRhodes left the Wright-designed home to the First Methodist Church of South Bend. The household goods were to be divided among First Methodist Church (who selected only the baby grand piano), the Progress Club (who took only the lawn mower and silver), the YWCA
and the Camp Fire Girls (who received about half of the home's furnishings including the fire screen and andirons).
The later whereabouts of the furnishings remain unknown.
In 1954 the Methodist Church sold the house. It was used by a Masonic lodge as the Avalon Grotto.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
Prairie style home located at 715 West Washington Avenue in South Bend, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The home has been carefully restored by its current owners over more than two decades and remains in private ownership. It is one of two Wright homes in South Bend, the other being the Herman T. Mossberg Residence
Herman T. Mossberg Residence
Herman T. Mossberg Residence is a house designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built for Herman T. Mossberg and his wife Gertrude in 1948 in South Bend, Indiana, and remains in private hands today. It is one of two Wright residences in South Bend, the other being the K. C....
.
In 1906, newlyweds Laura Caskey Bowsher DeRhodes and Kersey C. DeRhodes built a two-story house in South Bend, Indiana, designed for them in the Oak Park studio of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The house
In plan, the DeRhodes house is a mirror image twin of the 1904 Barton House in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The main floor of the house is one large, rectangular space oriented south to north, that is subdivided by piers and low bookcases with light screens into three spaces, a reception area, a large living room with fireplace toward the south (front) of the house and a large dining room with Wright's customary built in china cabinets toward the (north) rear of the house. An entry/foyer to the east and the stairway and kitchen wing to the west extend the plan into a cruciform shape. Terraces protected by low walls at the north and south ends of the house extend the living space into the surrounding landscape.
The exterior of the DeRhodes house exhibits many of the features associated with Wright's Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
architecture. The stucco exterior with wood trim, the strong water table, the pronounced horizontal lines of the continuous window sills and terrace parapets, the leaded glass "light screens" of the windows, the grouping of the windows into continuous bands and the low-profile hip roof.
The celebrated rendering of the DeRhodes house by Wright's assistant Marion Mahony Griffin
Marion Mahony Griffin
Marion Griffin was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licenced female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School.-Biography:...
is considered by scholars to be among the best to emerge from the Oak Park Studio, and was thought so by Wright himself, who inscribed it "Drawn by Mahony after FLLW and Hiroshige".
The clients
- Laura Caskey Bowsher DeRhodes (November 5, 1864-May 27, 1952)
Laura Caskey was born in Ligonier, Indiana
Ligonier, Indiana
Ligonier is a city in Perry Township, Noble County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,405 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Ligonier is located at ....
, the daughter of Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
clergyman Curtis Caskey and his wife Margaret. Before her marriage to Kersey C. DeRhodes, Laura Caskey was the second wife of South Bend industrialist-millionaire Nelson Prentice Bowsher (1845-1898). Bowsher rose from being an inventor and master mechanic at the Oliver Chilled Plow Works to the proprietor of his own manufacturing business, N. P. Bowsher. By his first wife, Clarissa C. Hostetter, Bowsher had two sons, Delavan Denis Bowsher and Jay C. Bowsher. Prior to her marriage to DeRhodes, Laura lived in the Bowsher family mansion at 805 West Washington, South Bend.
- Kersey C. DeRhodes (February 7, 1862-March 25, 1944)
Kersey C. DeRhodes was born in Fairfield, Ohio, the son of farmer David and his wife Madi DeRhodes. After coming to South Bend in 1901, DeRhodes served as the cashier of the Merchant's National Bank (later the National Bank). He also served as the treasurer of the Williams-Forrest Machine Company. His residence before his marriage to Laura C. Bowsher was at 329 West Colfax Avenue, now the site of the First Presbyterian Church of South Bend. From a prior marriage, he had one daughter, Hazel M. DeRhodes (July 10, 1888 - January 1975), who lived with Kersey and Laura DeRhodes in their Wright designed home before moving to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, as an adult.
In early 1906, Laura C. Bowsher visited with her South Bend friend Isabel Roberts
Isabel Roberts
Isabel Roberts was a Prairie School figure, member of the architectural design team in the Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and partner with Ida Annah Ryan in the Orlando, Florida architecture firm, “Ryan and Roberts”. It is fair to say that Roberts is an under-appreciated member of Wright’s...
(of the Isabel Roberts House
Isabel Roberts House
Isabel Roberts House is a classic 1908 Prairie House from the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright located at 603 Edgewood Place in River Forest, Illinois It was built for Isabel Roberts and her widowed mother, Mary Roberts....
) in Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
. Isabel was an architectural designer and draughtsman in Wright's Oak Park Studio
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio at 951 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois, has been restored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to its appearance in 1909, the last year Frank Lloyd Wright lived there with his family. Frank Lloyd Wright purchased the property and built the home in...
and through Isabel, Laura met architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who was at the peak of his acclaim with the success of his prairie houses. She commissioned Wright's Oak Park studio to design a house for her to be located at 715 West Washington Avenue, which was to be completed in time to move into it with her new husband. Isabel Roberts stated that she was the designer of this house, although since it came from Wright's studio it has always been attributed to him.
On September 22, 1906, in Berwyn, Illinois, Laura Caskey Bowsher and Kersey C. DeRhodes were married; the officiating minister was Frank Lloyd Wright's uncle, the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones.
Laura and Kersey DeRhodes lived in their Wright-designed house the rest of their lives; they were South Bend social and civic leaders. DeRhodes' later business pursuits included the Vernon Clothing Company, the DeRhodes Motor Company (selling Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
automobiles and Graham trucks). The DeRhodes were members of the First Methodist Church of South Bend. Laura was a member of the Progress Club.
Laura DeRhodes was still living in the house in 1940 when she was interviewed by Wright researcher Grant Manson, whose notes of the interview are in the Oak Park, Illinois public library. Laura continued to live in the house until the time of her death. Both are buried in the Highland Cemetery Mausoleum, South Bend.
"Shortly after Laura Bowsher's death," the current owner says, "Frank Lloyd Wright visited South Bend to deliver a lecture at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He tried to buy back the original items from the home." Instead, contents went to Laura's four principal heirs.
In her will, Laura DeRhodes left the Wright-designed home to the First Methodist Church of South Bend. The household goods were to be divided among First Methodist Church (who selected only the baby grand piano), the Progress Club (who took only the lawn mower and silver), the YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
and the Camp Fire Girls (who received about half of the home's furnishings including the fire screen and andirons).
The later whereabouts of the furnishings remain unknown.
In 1954 the Methodist Church sold the house. It was used by a Masonic lodge as the Avalon Grotto.