William W. Jarvis House/ Harold & Marie Schmidt House

The W. W. Jarvis house, located in Troy, is a well-preserved historic home that offers an excellent example of Italianate architecture. Constructed in 1867, the house has retained most of its historic integrity and still sits on its original wooded lot. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places and remains a private residence.

The house has two single story bay windows that are common in the Italianate style, each featuring the segmentally arched pediments that match those on other windows. They have matching scrolled brackets that occur in pairs. The bay windows are topped with fancy sawed balusters whose design can be found in the popular pattern books of this period. The single doors are tall and narrow with frames and pediments that match those on the windows. The doors have large single pane glazing in the door itself reflecting this characteristic first used in the mid-19^th century as glass-making techniques improved. The single story porch supported by square posts with beveled corners is an almost ever-present Italianate features that is evident on the Jarvis House. In keeping with the asymmetrical style inspired by the farmhouse architecture of the Italian country side, the house is without a tower.

The interior of the house features functional fireplaces in the two parlors and sitting room. The parlor fireplaces are Italianate style marble with cut ornamentation and full arched openings. The leading edges of the mantels are cut in a compound arched fashion. The sitting room has a larger, brick fireplace with a wooden mantel. Other interior details include a butler’s pantry and a narrow stairway concealed within an interior wall leading directly to the maid’s quarter. A curved staircase features a large, octagonal-shaped walnut newel post and a solid walnut handrail curving 270° and terminating at the wall on the second floor. The handrail was cut from seven individual blocks of solid walnut, numbered on the underside, and carefully butt-joined together. Turned spindles and scrolled stair brackets enhance this picturesque staircase. The design of the newel post, staircase details, and the wide trim moldings used throughout the interior are representative and are found in the pattern books of this period.

Minor alterations were made by Mr. Jarvis to the first floor of the south façade and east side of the rear-facing wing. The alterations were made in the structure’s early years because of a growing family. 1/ Nine children were born between the years 1869 and 1887. Four survived to adulthood. Understandably, the purpose of the alterations was to gain more living space. The alteration to the south façade was a seven foot extension to the main parlor; the exterior wall at the first floor level was extended southward resulting in a larger parlor. The impact on the original parlor, aside from the additional floor space, was minor. The original gabled wall on the east façade remains intact. No interior walls were altered and the floor plan remained a compound, rear-facing “L”. The original fireplace continued to be the focal point of the parlor and the room’s relationship with the rest of the house was unchanged. The flow pattern, staircase, and second floor remained as originally built. The alteration to the east side of the rear-facing wing included a seven foot extension at the first floor level that intersected the parlor extension, thus retaining the rear-facing “L” characteristic. Placed adjacent to the dining room and kitchen and used primarily for additional storage, this alteration was minor in its impact on the original floor plan. No interior walls were removed and the characteristics of the house were undiminished. A portion of this storage area was converted to a bath in 1929 but no walls were altered or moved. 2/. Materials of construction used in the alterations, particularly the doors, door and window frames, baseboards, and other interior wood trim are identical to those used in the basic structure. These materials were readily available to Mr. Jarvis. As the owner of the Troy lumber yard, he stocked a complete line of lumber, sash, doors, hardware, and building materials. The availability of these materials resulted in an alteration with minor impact on the overall design, character, and picturesque appearance.

(The W. W. Jarvis house, located in Troy, is a well-preserved example of Italianate architecture. Constructed in 1867, the house has retained most of its historic integrity and still sits on its original wooded lot. [note: it is still a private residence])

• Interesting Fact: William W. Jarvis, a prominent banker, built this house where he lived until his death in 1927. His grandfather, John Jarvis, was an early Troy Settler who in 1814 made the first entry of land what was to become the City of Troy. The property was originally a land grant given under President Monroe. After William’s death, his daughter Bessie Jarvis Keller took over residency. Bessie sold the house in 1961 to Harold and Terri Drazen, who continue to maintain both the integrity of the architecture and interior appointments in keeping with the period.

Researched and Written by Madelyn Knight

Uploaded on behalf of the Madison County Historical Society by Kiley Fuchs

http://www.nationalroad.org/sites/default/files/national-road-art-architecture-guide-10-2012.pdf ; http://hpa.illinois.gov/PDFs/200930.pdf ; https://www.troyhistoricalsociety.org/index.php?pagekey=awards