Glen and Park Avenue Tour Guide

GLEN AND PARK AVENUE WALKING TOUR

GLEN AVENUE

101 – 1910 Craftsman style house could be a “catalog” house. The city directory lists the first occupant as Captain Louis Renard, born in France and was a French chef. While living here he worked for the Nebraska Telephone Co. and he and his wife took in boarders.

112 – 114 – Assessor’s office list the date of construction as 1910, other sources as 1913. But, according to Tallgrass Historians, other records indicate that it could have been built in 1905 as a rental property. The house in the back was not present on the 1928 fire insurance map; two garages occupied that space. It could have been an older house, moved there after 1928.

120 – this Queen Anne cottage shares the same parcel as 116. Records indicate they could have been built in 1909 by Cynthia Woolsey as rental properties, or – given the Queen Anne influence in their decorative details – they could have been built by Elizabeth Spooner who bought the property in 1896.

128 – Four dwellings on this parcel were built as part of the Anderson Court development by 1928 – they remain single family rental units.

135 – Calvin and Angeline Beebe built this Queen Anne house in 1892. Calvin Beebe was among those who broke with Brigham Young at the Mormon’s Winter Quarters in the 1850s. He opened a furniture store at 201 West Broadway in 1864. In 1880 his son-in-law, Washington Runyan, joined the company. (Runyan lived at 109 Park Avenue.) In 1891 the company moved to Omaha and became known as Beebe & Runyan Furniture Co. In recent years the building has been converted to upscale condos and apartments on the riverfront.

136 – The George and Mary Pfeifer and their children (Walter, Clara, George, Otto and Oscar) lived at this address beginning in at least 1869. Records, and the style of this house (Spindlework Queen Anne), indicate the house was built by Oscar Peiffer in 1891, replacing his parents’ house. Transom hardware, found in the home by the present owners, dates to 1891. The name Pfeifer was sometimes spelled with one f and sometimes with two. In the 1950s the house became “Pleasant Home”, one fo three convalescent centers in town. It has since been converted back to a single-family residence.

137 – Records indicate that Peter Jensen built this Neoclassical house in 1905 as a rental property, then lived here with his wife, Mabel, from 1917 through 1927. Peter was a cigar manufacturer for 60 years and Mabel played violin in the Omaha Symphony Orchestra. Peter’s brother was J. Chris Jensen, a local architect who designed 773 buildings during his career. The brothers were born in Denmark.

144 – It appears that this house, with Gable Front and Gothic Revival porch, was built in 1867 for the W.H. Millard family, a salesman for a wholesale grocer.. The household included his wife and children, two domestic servants, and two boarders. G. Fred Spooner, teller and then cashier at First National Bank, lived here with his wife, Lucy, from 1897 through 1934. Lucy was the daughter of the Millards.

150 – This Prairie style house was built in 1918 by Jens Anderson and sold in 1920 to Judge Orville D. Wheeler and his wife, Helen who lived there until at least 1935.

152 – Nels Sorenson, a contractor, built this Arts and Crafts house in 1919 and retained possession until 1939. The interior woodwork of 150 and 152 have the same woodwork.

163 – This Colonial Revival house was built in 1914 with Wallace Benjamin as the first resident. He sold it two years later to Ernest and Ethel Peet, of E.M. Peet Manufacturing. One of the tiles in the brick columns in the 200 block of Broadway is a reproduction of an ad for Peet Feeds.

166 –Queen Anne cottage built around 1902. Its first resident was Carrie Spooner. It appears that Frank and Florence Everest lived here from 1905 until 1910 when they completed their new house on Third Street.

167 – This Foursquare house was built in 1913 by William and Theresa Pfaff. Pfaff was listed in the city directory as the proprietor of a candy and cigar store.

170 – Built in 1868, this Italianate house was home to Charles B. Jacquemin, noted jeweler in the early days of Council Bluffs. His name appears at the top of each page in the early city directories. Jacquemin was partners with George Gerner, who married Jacquemin’s daughter, Clara. For a time, both families lived in this house. George Gerner, Jr., who became manager of the store, lived across the street at 171 Glen Ave. Another noted owner of the property was Judge Samuel Snyder, who established the first Juvenile Court in the state of Iowa. At the time of his death he lived at 507 E. Pierce and likely did not live at this address during his tenure as owner.

180 – Colonial Revival/Foursquare was built in 1913. It was converted to apartments in 1941.

188 – Built in 1909 – Foursquare/ Spanish or Mediterranean Revival with classical porch columns.

198 – Morris Pearson family occupied this Foursquare from 1916 through at least 1935. Pearson was a tailor.

199 – Fred Dahl, owner of a tire and battery store, built this home for his wife, Agnes, and their three children in 1926. The four-square style shows Prairie School influence in the brick veneered first floor and the stuccoed second floor, the wide eave overhang of the roof, and the details of the portico front porch which features a hipped roof with wide eave overhang, full-height brick posts and the inset enclosed entry vestibule, and the brick railing around the patio.

303 – 1905 – William, Ruth, and Paul Rigdon were the first to live at this address. Rigdon was president and treasurer for Clark Implement Company, and later an alderman for the 3rd ward.

304–TheWilliamKeelinehousewasbuiltin1907. Accordingtoneighbors,310GlenAve. was originally part of the Keeline property and they had a tennis court on this lot. According to a 1935 Nonpareil article, a 200-year-old elm tree in the yard of the Keeline home had been felled by high winds, and that this tree had been used as a gallows to hang accused murderer Baltimore Muir during the early frontier days of CB. Keeline was a prominent stock raiser and grape grower.

315 – Built in 1910 by Mary Bainbrindge, this Foursquare shows influence from Prairie School and Colonial Revival styles. A noted resident was Judge Samuel B. Snyder, who lived in the house from 1917 through 1920. Snyder was a city attorney, Municipal Court Judge, and Superior

Court Judge – during which time he started the first Juvenile Court in the State of Iowa. He was more closely associated with his residence at 507 East Pierce Street, which is still standing.

316 – Built in 1906- Foursquare – extremely good example with Colonial Revival details. George Champ, a druggist, lived here until 1927.

322 – 1910 Colonial Revival – note the oculus windows

323 – This 1903 Colonial Revival Foursquare was the home of Ellen O’Donnell and members of her family for many years. Ellen and John O’Donnell were natives of Ireland and first lived next door at 322 since at least 1895. John had been a blacksmith and wagon maker before his death in 1899.

325 – 1910 Queen Anne Cottage with Pyramid roof (trellises in front)

328 – a 1902 Dutch Colonial variation of a Colonial Revival house, with cross-gambrel ells and an unusual rounded two- story bay window on the side ell. This well-preserved house was built for Henry P. Butler, an agent for the railroad.

332 – Built in 1902 – Colonial Revival – first occupant was Thomas Shugart of the Shugart & Ouren Seed Company. From 1911 Until 1917 Esty Woodring, of the Woodring Undertaking Company lived here.

337 – 1917 through 1935 William P. Hughes, publisher and vp of the New Nonpareil Co. lived here – good example of a Prairiesque foursquare.

400 – The Mayne House – Colonial Revival – Joel Harlan Mayne, county surveyor, lived here through 1935, then his son, George Mayne II, attorney, lived here at least until 1940.

Joel Harlan Mayne’s father, Winfield Scott Mayne, resided at 223 Park Ave.

407 – Italianate Queen Anne – Judge Joseph Reed and his wife, Jeannette lived here from 1883 – 1905. The current owners believe that the original house (1871) was much smaller and that Reed enlarged it to its present form and style. Reed was an attorney, a Superior Court Judge, congressman, and co-author, with H.H. Field, of the History of Pottawattamie County. By 1906 Edward P. Shoentgen, VP of Groneweg & Schoentgen, then an architect, occupied this address.Architect J. Chris Jensen’s obituary indicated that he died in 1946 “, 407 Glen Aven.” at the home of his son, Franklin.

420 – This 1885 Queen Anne was built by Frank Hunter and sold to John Plumer in 1890. Known as the Clark House, the primary residents were John and Minnie Clark and their family. The Clarks purchased the home in 1910. John Clark was a real estate agent and later manager of the Leonard Everett Company.

424 – Built in 1902-03 probably by John and Harriett Plumer family. Edith and Joseph R. Reed lived here from 1924 until he died in 1926 , then Edith lived there until her death in 1951.

429 – 1902 Italianate – probably much older. First resident was Wm. Beattie who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad. Second was Peter Korth, a bank president. US Census says he was renting it.

434 – 1916 - The first occupant listed at this address was G. F. Sparks, who lived here until 1922 when he sold it to Albert McGinn, a lawyer practicing since 1914. His wife, Kathleen, was admitted to the bar in 1937 and was one of only two female attorneys in CB in the mid-twentieth century. “The McGinns had ten children, who were the subject of a glowing article written by famed correspondent, Ernie Pyle, in the late 1930s, who labeled them the ‘Marvelous McGinns’”. Albert McGinn lived here until his death at age 98 in 1974. Prior to that time, he was the oldest living graduate of Georgetown University.

439 – 1880 Stick Queen Anne – first occupant was R.H. Nichols , a grocer. In 1915 Wm Groneweg lived here. He came from Hanover, Germany in 1861 and formed a partnership with John Schoentgen in 1868. He was a mayor and a state senator. Records indicate that a new house was built in 1906, or the old house was extensively remodeled. The porch dates to the 1906 date (when it was purchased by Albert A Clark who owned extensive property but never lived here) but the elaborate decorative woodwork on the front gable suggests the 1880 date. The house was recently repainted.

445 – The property was bought in June of 1870 by Fayette O. and Laura Gleason when they came to Council Bluffs as a newly married couple. The 1869 city directory lists Gleason as livingonGlenAve.buttheaddresswasnotgiven. Thepurchasepricewas$450which suggests an 1870 construction date for this Gothic Revival house. Gleason held several occupations while living here, including being a partner in Hays & Gleason Grocers, treasurer of the CB Handle Factory, and vice president of Citizens State Bank. One city directory listed him simply as a “capitalist”. they lived here until they died -he in 1918 and she in 1934.

453 – Queen Anne Gable-Front-and-Wing Cottage – there are no records to show who built the house. In 1913, W.R.C. Mynster was listed at this address. Mynster was the son of Christopher O. and Maria Mynster, coming to CB at age three. The Mynsters, early pioneers, were the first Danish immigrants to settle in this area. A year after coming here, C.O. Mynster died of cholera and many of his properties were stolen by claim jumpers. Maria, a midwife, continued to buy property and became a major landowner and community leader. The Mynster building in the 100 block of East Broadway was built by William Mynster.

Three foursquares:500, built in 1912, 504, built in 1913, and 506, built in 1908.

The Reservoir and the caretakers house are not visible, but are included in the district.

The pumping station was constructed in 1915. The only change has been the replacement of the roof. It still functions as a pumping station. The CB Water Works gives the neighborhood permission to decorate it at Christmas time.

Cross at Pomona – indicate where the radio station was located, on Huntington. PARK AVENUE

331 - The county assessor lists the date as 1872, a very specific date strongly suggesting that it was based on real information. John T. Oliver, an early pioneer and one of the leading businessmen in the city, lived here with his wife, Isabella. John died in 1910, and Isabella in 1921. John Oliver was the first merchant taylor in the city. Isabella was the sister of Andrew Graham, Scotsman who served as a parks commissioner and was responsible for

most of the land acquisition and development of Fairmount Park. Harry Al Searle bought the house in 1930. Searle was president and general manager of Searle Petroleum Company in CB and lived there through at least 1940, and also owned the radio station. He added the second story, and gave the house the Colonial Revival façade that it has today.

315–TheC.G.andAnnaOurenHousewasbuiltin1902. Ourenwasinhisearlytwenties when he bought out Mr. Frederick’s share of the Shugart & Frederick Seed Co.. At age 32 he became President and manager of Shugart Ouren Seed Co, the Ouren Seed Co. Beginning in 1934 he was president and director of First National Bank.

311 – 1902 Colonial Revival –first occupant was James MacRae, proprietor of Grand Livery. He was later listed as a quarantine officer. Original porch is missing, windows have changed.

231 – The Benton House – built in the Federal style in 1857 by Thomas Hart Benton, nephew of the Missouri senator. (The regionalist artist, a contemporary of Grant Wood, was the Senator’s great-nephew.) Benton was a partner in the banking firm Green, Ware, and Benton, one of the first banks established in CB. He was made a Brigadier General in 1864. Soon after moving into his new home, Benton’s bank suffered a financial crisis, the result of the national Panic of 1857. The Bentons were able to stay in the house and it was from this location that he left to serve in the Civil War. Other owners included R.L. Douglass, one of the first two circuit judges for the state of Iowa, Patrick Lacey, owner of the Ocean Wave Saloon and James O’Connor, a railroad builder. Dr. Abbott Dean and his wife, Liz, restored the by-then rundown house and lived in the house for around 50 years.

232 – Known as the Crane House, this Queen Anne was likely built in 1886 by George and Mary Crane. Later residents were members of the Tinley family, most notably Patricia Duckworth Tinley- one of two female attorneys in CB in the mid-twentieth century.

228 – Jacob Neumayer House. Neumayer, owner of the noted Neumayer Hotel, built this house in 1903. He was a German immigrant who came to this country in 1867. He worked on farms, at the Haag Brewery, and in 1882 purchased, remodeled, and expanded the Bryant House Hotel. After the hotel burned, he built a 75-room hotel on the property, with a stable behind it that would hold 150 horses. They were located where the Omni Center now stands. Neumayer was one of the 14 German immigrants who founded St. Peter’s Church in 1887. After his daughter, Louise, married Thomas Wack and moved into this house, Jacob lived in the smaller house behind it, on Glen Ave.

223 – The Evans House –Italianate/Gothic Revival house, built by S.S. Evans in 1862 during the Civil War and was known as the “Southern House” with its main entry on the second floor reached by twin curving staircases leading out to the street. In the 1870s, the house was remodeled with more Gothic overtones. The front porch and the fleur-de-leis, rescued from a torn-down Council Bluffs landmark, were added in a 1986 restoration. S.S. Evans married Endamile Bayliss, daughter of Samuel Bayliss. The couple resided in Kansas City. The city directory shows Winfield Scott Mayne, an attorney, in residence by 1887. Sometime in the 1920s, William S. Rigdon, an implement dealer and Mayne’s son-in-law, occupied the house, which was also known as the “Rigdon-Bayliss House”.

211 – Foursquare built in 1909 by Jay C. Aid, a steam railroad conductor.

209 – The Tostevin House - built around 1859, city directories show that it was occupied by Thomas Tostevin from at least 1869 until 1905. Tostevin came to CB in 1853. He was a city

engineer, then a county surveyor while in residence, and was hired by the government to survey the original squatters claims. He was also instrumental in the drainage ditch projects in Pott. And Harrison counties. He served as county treasurer and was the mayor in 1868. A Quaker, he was born on an island in the English channel and came to the US with his parents when he was four years old. He and his wife, Harriett, moved to CB in 1854. His brother, David, was also an engineer in CB.

206 – This Queen Anne house was built in 1865. The first known occupant was Swan Swanson, music dealer and piano tuner for Swanson Music Co. It changed hands several times, and in 1927 Joseph Wanning began living there. It stayed in the Wanning and Waldmann families for many years. The current owner has restored it to its original condition.

200 – This Queen Anne house is believed to have been built in 1897 because in that year two strips of land were joined into a single house lot, owned by Luzerba Bebbington. The lots in this area were know as Bebbington Place, with many of them owned by the Bebbingtons and their daughter, Clara, and son-in-law Ernest Hart. Records indicate that the city had planned to build a street between Glen and Park at this point, but the land was sold to a private investor. A lawsuit took place, with the owners winning, and the street was never built.

151 – The Tulleys House – built in 1877 in the Victorian Gothic style designed by Chicago architect P.A. Hale and constructed by the Wickham Brothers. It has 54 doors and windows – an early air-conditioning system. Lysander Tylleys was a Col. In the Civil War and opened the first farm loan agency in the area. As a member of the firm of Tulleys, Waters, and Wadsworth. When the drought of 1888-1890 brought heavy financial losses, Tulleys paid his eastern investors from his own business and subsequently left the firm. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

150 – The Cavin House – built in 1887 by Thomas and Emma Cavin, this house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has elements of several styles, including Eclectic, Gothic, and Queen Anne. Thomas Cavin owned or co-owned several stores, later becoming floor manager of the John Beno Co. Emma was the daughter of H.H.Field who lived at 126 Park Ave. The house was converted to apartments, and converted back to a single family residence by the present owners.

142 – Richard Green, of the family of Thomas Green & Sons packing house near Mosquito Creek, was the first resident of this Craftsman House built in 1918

164 – Front Gabled Cottage with Queen Anne details built in the 1880s – 1900s. City directories show George Bebbington, lumber dealer, living at this address in 1870 and 1889; there may have been an earlier house here, or the older house was remodeled in the present style. Ernest B. Hart lived here as a renter in 1899-1900, and his wife Clara, daughter of George and Luzerba Bebbington, occupied the home in 1991. Ernest Hart, brother of Jennie Edmundson, was in the real estate business, then in loans, and became a director of the Citizens State Bank which merged into First National Bank in 1899. The property is part of Bebbington Place, platted in 1912 by Clara Hart.

134 – the Simon Eiseman House was built in 1882 by Simon and Esther Eiseman. Simon and his brother, Henry, were natives of Germany who settled in Council Bluffs in 1861 and opened a clothing store. Henry Eiseman also lived at the 134 Park Avenue address, as well as other relatives. The business grew, and they opened a larger store at 408 Broadway The

store failed in 1890, and the Eisemans sold the house and moved to Colorado where, according to their grandson who visited in the summer of 2009, they owned two silver mines. Several years later the building was purchased and became the John Beno Co. The Eisemans owned a second store which also failed and became the Peoples Store. The house was subdivided in the 1960s and made into apartments. It is being restored by its present owners to a single family dwelling.

126 – This Queen Anne house was built in 1890 by Homer and Sarah Field, early pioneers, who lived in the house until 1904 when Sarah died. H.H. Field was a member of the Council Bluffs City Council, a member of the Board of Education, Chief of Police, Justice of the Peace, and conducted the draft for the Civil War. An accomplished violinist, he organized shows at the local opera houses and played on Missouri River showboats. He co-authored the History of Pottawattamie County with Judge Joseph Reed.

109 – Washington and Mary Runyan built this stylish Queen Anne home in 1997. Runyan was the son-in-law of Calvin A. Beebe, who lived at 135 Glen Avenue. Beebe came to CB with the Mormon migration and opened a small furniture store in 1864 at 201 W. Broadway. Runyan joined him in the business, which was renamed Beebe & Runyan Furniture Co. The business eventually moved to Omaha and has been converted to upscale condos and apartments on the Riverfront.

102 – The county assessor lists the construction date as 1845. A local historian believes the house may be the Moore house, built in 1857. The first confirmed occupant was Wallace Shephard in 1895. The Queen Anne style is more compatible with the 1895 date. This may be a house that was built around an earlier house.