Samuel H. and Isabel Smith Elkins House

Venture capitalist and city postmaster Samuel H. Elkins built this elegant Italianate home around 1892. The unique front porch featuring a balustrade of wide lattice and scrollwork was added before 1908. The scrollwork reflects the influence of the Art Nouveau style. Other notable features include the cornice with pairs of brackets supporting a wide eave, a triangular pediment with a circular window, and bay windows. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and is a contributing property of the North Village Arts District, which is also on the Register. The house is occupied by an equity company.

Information about Samuel Elkin's life is not readily available but he became a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist by the time he built the house. He became the city's postmaster sometime later as well. He passed away in 1909 and Isabel continued to live in the house until she sold it in 1925 to C.F. and Madge Edmonston. After C.F. died, Madge converted the home in a boarding house by 1935. The next owners, Clifford and Frances Hanks, bought the house in 1969 and converted it into apartments. By the mid-1990s, only three apartments remained but were removed when the house was rehabilitated and converted into a stained glass workshop. Much of the original interior of the house is still intact including the cast iron fireplaces and wood flooring.

Olson, Greg. "Samuel H. and Isabel Smith Elkins House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. September 12, 1996. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63818294/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MO/96001012.pdf.

"Our Home." Permanent Equity. Accessed April 25, 2022. https://www.permanentequity.com/our-home.