I’m always partial to a house with personality. The William and Ella Craycroft McElroy House, with its distinctive near-diamond shaped footprint, exudes character and charm. The 2.5-story, frame, Queen Anne style house was built between 1898 and 1903 on Main Street in Springfield, Kentucky.
The facade of the McElroy House, as seen from Main Street.
The first time I saw this delightful concoction, I wondered if it was George F. Barber House – there is a design of his in the nearby town of Lebanon, Kentucky. But while a quirky footprint was certainly part of Barber’s design schematic, the exterior of the McElroy House is almost spare in comparison to the ornamentation usually heaped upon Barber designs. I flipped through the two reprints I have of his catalogs, and didn’t see a house similar to this one.
Location of Springfield, Kentucky.
The house is clad in its original weatherboards (a miracle in the age of vinyl siding) that sport a mishmash of white and purple paint. No amount of flaking paint can distract, however, from the delightful angles and lines of this dwelling.
Façade and east elevation of McElroy House.
The two polygonal bays on the west and east elevations feature cut-away bays over the second story window, a denticulated cornice, and an attic gable embellished with sawtooth and fishscale shingles, as well as acorn finals.
Detail of one of the attic gables.
The McElroy family has deep roots in Springfield. The first courthouse for Washington County was built in 1794 by a Hugh McElroy, Sr. The William McElroy for whom this house was built worked in the dry goods business.
Section of the 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance map showing the McElroy House.
The wrap-around porch is a very solid, substantial creature, and I would venture to guess parts of it were updated in the 1930s. The Tuscan columns sit on stone piers that match the stone foundation of the house, but the infilled-rusticated block balustrade lends an air of heaviness to the structure.
West elevation and facade of the house.
Between 1903 and 1909, a one story frame addition (visible in the photo above) had been added to the house.
The McElroy House.
I would love to know why William and Ella chose this fascinating floor plan, with its distinctive exterior elements, for their family home. But lovers of historic buildings must contend with unsolved mysteries, and despite knowing little about the house’s origins, I rejoice that it is still standing and I got to see it again.
