132 Marston Ave
Eau Claire, WI, USA

James Barber House

The James Barber House is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.


History

James Barber was a prominent figure in the lumber and railroad industries. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and on the State Register of Historic Places in 1989.

National Register of Historic Places - James Barber House

Statement of Significance:

The James Barber house, designed by Minneapolis architect, Harry Wild Jones, for one of the city's prominent lumbermen, provides Eau Claire's finest example of Tudor Revival architecture. Merged with its own carriage house, the brick and stucco residence are characterized by decorative half timbering, steeply pitched gable roofs, and bargeboards, the most significant of which is ornamented with exquisitely carved detail. The dwelling, located in the city's Third V/art neighborhood, is one of the few noteworthy examples of period revival architecture in the city (Another residence, the Orlando Brice house, 120 Marston Avenue, 2P/22, an illustration of the Georgian Revival style, is also being nominated. Other revival designs are contributing structures in the Third Ward Historic District.) and is distinguished for the quality of its design and craftsmanship.

Harry Wild Jones was born in Minnesota in 1859. He attended first Brown University and later the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from i860 to 1882. In 18814. Jones returned to Minnesota, settling in Minneapolis where he organized his own office in 1885 According to architectural historian, Donald Torbert, Jones was a "successful, and fashionable architect from the time: his practice was established until the third decade of the twentieth century" (C). In addition to his practice, Jones was a member of the American Institute of Architects, a director of the Minnesota State Art Society, and an instructor in architecture at the University of Minnesota. Jones died in Minneapolis in 1935»