Quincy House Tour

1206

1206 Park Place, also designed by John Batschy in 1891, is one of many examples of the common single hipped Queen Anne seen all over the Midwestern United States. However, because of the abundance of masonry and stone materials available in the Quincy area in the 1890s, this house exhibits many wonderful masonry details.

The first interesting detail seen in this house is the panel that sits between the transomed parlor window on the first floor and the second floor bedroom window. Carved from limestone, this is an excellent example of the sculptured elements that give the Queen Anne style its amazing texture and picturesque quality. Set in a wall of red brick (American common bond) the limestone creates a nice contrast in materials and colors.

Other masonry details on this house include a rusticated stone water table, window lintels and quoins, and a rusticated belt course above the second story windows. Batschy uses this same detail in several of his houses; it must have been a detail he particularly liked.

Another interesting feature of this house is the stacked first and second story porches on the right side of the front facade. A relatively common feature on homes of this era, the second floor porch was often known as the sleeping porch. During the end of the Nineteenth Century, sleeping outdoors in the summer months was done on a porch like this and was said to have promoted good health. More often than not, these porches adjoined the main bedroom of the upper floors and were only used for sleeping.

The porch exhibits some nice wood detailing that gives an illusion to the stick style with simple squares, hewn posts, and lintels. Above the second floor porch is a classical entablature, an unusual feature for a picturesque house.