| OCR Text |
Show UTAH HISTORIC SITES INVENTORY Name and Address of Site Owner Lee Roy & Patricia Rothey Address of Site 2555 Eccles Avenue Principal Owner Or. Hugh M. & Vern Rowe Material Bri cl<. Oa te Apri 1 28, 1975 Arch. tect or Builder Lester Hodgson Original Use Private Home Present Use Private Home Year Built 1911-1912 If)...- 1. Describe the historical significance of the site. Include a discussion of the original and subsequent owners, and dates and events associated with the building and the OwnerS. This home is one of three houses built on the block of Eccles Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets which comprised an elite residential district in early Ogden. These three hous"s w"r" bui It by David Eccl"s, one of Ogden's most promin"nt "arly citizens, for three of his children, as a wedding gift for marrying "with his blessing In th" T"mpl,,". This particular hous" was Int"nded for his daughter, Veda Savage. She apparently liv"d th"r" bri"fly b"for" moving to Salt Lak". There she s"parated from h"r husband and mov"d to Cal ifornia where sh" disappeared In a flood and landslide In Altadena In 1938. No l"gal r"cord of this reported occupancy or Ind"ed of that of John Spargo, another eminent "arly citlz"n, and hls first wife, Grac", Can b" found. How"ver, Mr. Spargo was a close friend of Dr. Hugh Row" to whom th" deed was transferred from the "Ogden Savings Bank. and Lester Cor"y" on May 2, 1912. And just prior to that, a sewer connection permit was r"corded, filed Jointly by M. M. Row" and LeRoy Eccles, owner of the house immediately north, on August ~, 191 I. (Les-ter Corey's connection is not k.nown. Perhaps he was acting for David Eccles through the bank. At any rate, he waS well k.nown in the area, living first in Uintah. Active in the construction business, he became associated with and later President of the Utah Construction Co.) The Rowes represent the principal and most significant Owners of thi s property. They were prominent 1n social, financial, and civic activities in Og~en and lived at 2555 Eccles for about 30 years. tlugh M. Rowe was born in Strathroy, Ontorio, Canada on March 5, 1868. Ke graduated in vet"rinary surgery and medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College, and first practiced in Iowa and Nebraska. ComIng to Ogden in 1900 as a quarantine inspector for the U. S. Departm"nt of Agricult~re with headquarters in Ogden, he launched a career as a civic and business organizer. He Organiled the W"stern federal Livestock Co. In dvic work. he waS first President of the Ogden Chamber of Commerce, .hich he helped organize. Other positions he held included: FIrst Vice-President of the Ogden Livestock Show; President of the Intermountlln Good Raids Assoclltlon; Prlsldent of the Weber Club; DIrector of the Ogden Golf and Country Club .nd Instrumental In Its Initial development; builder of the first golf course In 1901 In Ogden; Olrector Ind Vice Presldlnt of the Ogden State Blnk from 1915 to 1929; Pruldent Ind Mlnlger of Bl.ckmln Ind Griffin Co., President of the Bonneville Club, Silt Like City Ind ...ember of the Board of Govenors; President Ind Hlnlger of the Grousl Creek Lind & Livestock to.; ...eeber of the Baird of Govlnors of the Ben LOllond Club; livestock Igent and .pprllser for the Commerclll Security Blnk; Ind Mlnager of the Allied l.nd ILivestock Co., Elko, Havada. He WIS Ilso Ictlve In I st,te capacity, representing Govenor Wllll,11 Spry It three nltlonll fairs, waS to••lssloner to the Sin Diego fair Ind to the Pan.ma-P,ciflc Internationilll Exposition It Silln rr.nclsco. He died I 32nd Degree HISOn, ilIn orgillnlz.tlon In which he hid been Ictlve 111 his .dult life. On Jlnulry " 1'17, he lIilIHled Vern Tavey of Ogden. She took ilIn Ictlve Plrt In socill ilInd civic Ictlvitles, serving IS President of the Hlrthl Society Ind In .,ny clplcltles during the Wlr In the ked Cross. She WIS I grldulte of the University of thiclgo. Their two children, Hugh H. Rowe, Jr. (now living in Wisconsin) Ind Jelnne Rowe hnklns (now of Silt like tlty) grew up in this house. In April of 1'_2, Dr. Ind /'Irs. Rowe sold the house to Lillwrence P. Wright Ind .oved to [est Llyton, where they died In 1,116 Ind 19_7, respectively. Although Hr. Wright .nd his wife. HilIrthl Louise, Icqulrad the deed On Hly I. 19_2, they Ipplrently rented the house to others during the w.r Ind didn't .ctu.lly live there until 19115. During this perlod an interesting gllost story becl.e Identified with the house. An R.O.l.t. orflcer Ind his f •• lly n'lIed Gibson wllo were living there reported seeIng the tllost of I young WOllilln. Locilll friendS were convinced tha figure w.s thlt of Grice Splrgo, wllo died In clllldbirth, while re,ldlng briefly at the hou,e. In 19-5 L.rry Wright, I sOn of W. H. Wright, returned to Ogden Ind his wife to work. In the f ••lly business. W. H. wrlfllt's, loclted on the northwest corner of 211th Street and Washington B vd .• WIS Ogden', lelding deplrtllent sotre. /'Ir. Wright opened tile furniture deplrt ..ent there. Ha Ind his wife IIld two dlugllters, l1il1ry ilInd Lillurie. Hlneteen ye.rs IgO, In 1956, tile Lee kotlleys, the present occu· pillnts, bought the house frOIl tile Wrights. Hr. Rotlley OIlS born In [lizebeth, Penn. and Is ,n Instructor In the Davl, County Scllool 01,trict. His wife, Pltrlcla, of Ogden, Is the Ad ..lnlstretor It Hill Hillven Convllescent Home. They hillve ten clliidren, wllo keep tllings bu,y ilInd IIlppy It 2555 Eccles Avenue. 2. Descrlbe the building In terms of its architectural slgnlflc.nce. In-clude I Cll,r,cterizatlon of tile style, ill description of .ny unique features It mlgllt possess a, well H the contribution It mikes to tile env I ronmen t. A country motif by u,e of exposed rafters over tile porcll supported -3- by box beams with beveled ends. Heavy square columns supporting these beams; they rest on a brick parapet and a sandstone cap. forming a porch; the entrance in In the center of the house, the roof juts out, covering the staIrs also creating interest for tI,at pottion. This porch roof and the roof above are ,;:overed wlth red tile. Large windows with a pattern of the IIright!an period are done In wood In lieu of lead. A large chimney with a unique cap, possibly added at a later date, on the left-hand side, extends out like one of Wright's drafting boards. It Is composed of red brick; the wIndow 51 I Is at the second floor have a double course of brick extending around the home. includ-ing the chimney, forming a ribbon. The ribbon unde~neath the wIndow sill w~applng a~ound the house is Indicative of the pe~lod and has b~lck above It In lieu of the no~mal stucco. Ron Hales, A~chltect 3 . Desc~lbe what alterations have been made to the original example, have there been any additions? ~here7 ~hen? has use of the Interior space been alte~ed1 Has the bul stuccoed or othe~wise sheathed? st~uctu~e. In Wh8t w8yS Iding been I'I~. Wright was particularly Inte~ested In plants and built the te~~aced ga~den in 19~6·~7. I'Ir. Rothey removed the back staircase and alte~ed the kitchen. ~. Describe the physical condition of the site at the p~esent time. Basic house Is in sound condition. 5. What are the futu~e plans fo~ the site? No current changes planned. 6. Sources used in compiling the history. diaries, family histo~les, newspape~s, (Pe~sons etc. ) interviewed, books, Photostat of H. II. Rowe ObItuary, Ogden Standard-Examlne~ Photostat of Vern Rowe Obi tua~y Ogden City Cemery Block Sheet Photostat of Sewer Connection Permit Plan of house as dr.wn by present owner Webe~ County Oeed Index Conve~satlons with: Lila Eccles Brimhall; Pat Healy; La~ry Dee; Alice Nelson; Jeanne Rowe Jenkins; Hugh II. Rowe, J~.; Gene Ellis: Jane Wright Baute~; Connie Wadswo~th; Tennie Brown; Flo~ence Douglas 7. Person c:ompillng form: Nama: Beverly Nye Addreu: 3310 Baker Orlve Ogden, Utah 8~~03 Telephone : 3,11- 5166 lIeturn to: Preservation Planning Offlc:e Utah Illstorlc:al Soc:lety 603 E. South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 8~102 |
