Revisiting the Context: The Warner House, Unionville

Or: Yet Another Case Where I Don't Know Everything



I've been doing a lot of research of late, trying to locate and look at (if only briefly) everything of significance that's been written about the 19th century buildings of northeast Ohio.

This meant finally breaking down and getting a Greater Access library card. With it, one can have books from any Ohiolink library sent to any other one, including your local branch, for pickup.

One of these titles was Frank J. Roos, Jr.'s 1938 Ph.D. dissertation, An Investigation of the Sources of Early Architectural Design in Ohio. The title, as delivered to me, is illustrated by 160 black and white photographs. Many of these are original images. I'll be addressing them in detail at a later date.

This dissertation is one of the earliest publications on the historic architecture of Ohio. The only earlier book on the subject is I.T. Frary's Early Homes of Ohio, published in 1936. Frary's work is a classic - both for the work he did here in Ohio, as well as on a wider scale, for the way he addresses something other than just the most grand homes. Early Homes of Ohio is on my short list of essential titles for understanding the architecture of northeast Ohio.

Frary's work is also the subject of some more extensive research that I've been doing for a museum exhibit scheduled for the summer of 2011. As such, I'll be addressing him in further detail in future posts.

To get back to the subject at hand - the doorway of the Warner house, pictured above, that I featured on Tuesday in a post about historic architecture in Madison and Unionville. It's located in Unionville, on County Line Road, just south of the cemetery. It appears to have recently been restored, and is definitely eye-catching. There's something different about it - I assumed that it was the quality of the carving and the sharp detail.



I didn't realize, however, was that it is missing some key elements, namely four Ionic columns. I just discovered this photograph, by Frank J. Roos, Jr., and used as figure 102 in his dissertation. The photograph, likely taken between 1935 and 1938, illustrates the doorway as it was. Alas, it does not show the details of the fretwork in the windows surrounding the door, something that I have not seen elsewhere in northeast Ohio.

Note how the columns provide (visual) support for the elements above them. Further note that the spaces where the columns once stood now appear visually empty, when compared with the rest of the doorway.



Some have compared this to the work of Jonathan Goldsmith, illustrated here by the doorways from the Isaac Gillet house (left), built 1821 in Painesville (now in the Cleveland Musuem of Art) and the William Peck Robinson house (right), built in 1831 in Willoughby (now part of Hale Farm and Village). Frary suggests that "The front doorway of the Warner house, though similar to the others in design, seems to be a copy by a less able man than Goldsmith." (Early Homes of Ohio, page 35)

I disagree with Frary's assessment. To my eyes, the more bold lines of the carving on the Warner door are pleasing in their own right. They have an appeal that is different from that of Goldsmith's work, which tends to be much more refined. It would be interesting to find additional historic photographs of this structure, that we might better understand it. Perhaps the collection of Frary's photos at the Ohio Historical Society will provide this illumination.

Some Context: Madison and Unionville

I've been trying to assemble a better body of research regarding the historic architecture of our region. I've been trying to locate every single title that might be of use to describe the buildings built in this area. I've sought out the ones that might help to provide better evidence as to when this or that structure was built, as well as the titles where people have already done that research. Too much of what we have in the way of dates for the architecture of northeast Ohio is guesswork, based largely on style.

In addtion to better research, I've also wanted to provide better context, both for myself, and for you, the reader. Many of the historic buildings I've photographed in Cleveland and the surrounding area have been modified significantly. Further, they are often spread far apart. I wanted to look at a large group of 19th century structures that were in a single location, that I might better understand what I was looking at here.



To that end, I followed State Route 84 in Lake County for about 10 miles - from Vrooman Road (exit 205 off Interstate 90) east through Madison and on to Unionville - before looping around and returning. The houses along this route have been modified some, of course, though not to the extent of the the remaining structures in the city. It's a beautiful and insightful stretch of road, all the more interesting now that most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, providing better views.

The house that I've lead with, with this beautiful front entry, is on the north side of the road, just east of Vrooman Road. The door itself is likely a later replacement - we can see that from the many small blocks glued together to make the cross pieces. The leaded glass sidelights and fanlights are definitely original. It's unusual to see a doorway of this style placed like this on a house. It makes me wonder if it might have been brought here from another house.



There are also examples of simpler structures, like this one.



Continuing east, this house has a bit more ornament, but is otherwise similar to the preceding one. Originally, the windows on the front of the house would have been the same size as those on the side. They were likely enlarged in the 1860s or 1870s, though it could have been a bit later.

Continuing to Unionville, I came across this house - a perfect image of the perception of what a house of this period is supposed to be. I also encountered this church, in a style so common in this area in the mid-19th century.



In Unionville, just south of the cemetery, on County Line Road, I came across this house, perhaps the most stunning of the trip.



The front doorway appears recently restored. It would be interesting to learn whether the wood in the transom and sidelights is based on some sort of historical element, or whether it was added to provide a bit of privacy.



This classic form, also in Unionville, caught my attention.



This tiny brick house served as a Connecticut Land Company office. It was built by Abraham Tappan, a Connecticut Land Company Surveyor, in 1817. The portion of the structure to the right of the front door is a later addition.



On my return west, I was able to better observe many of the historic structures on the south side of State Route 84, like this house at 25 Main Street, in Madison.



Note the detail in the doorway on this house. I speak frequently about the doorways because they are often the only places that the early builders put much detail, and as such, are examples of the highest form of their craft and artistic expression.



The landscape along this stretch of State Route 84 is worth taking a closer look at. These photographs represent but a small part of what I shot that day - please look at the full set for a better idea, but know that even that is but a sample.