Schwarzer, Franz, House - Washington, MO - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

County of house: Franklin County
Location of house: foot of Walnut Street, Washington
Built: 1868, 1872

"100. 2 Walnut Street, the Franz Schwarzer Residence (1868), ca. 1868,1872. A two story brick l-house with a stone foundation and a frame rear ell that predates the main house. The two story rear ell has a heavy timber frame filled with brick nogging, is covered with weatherboard siding and has a gable roof with cedar shakes. The l-house section has a truncated hip roof topped with a widows walk and wrought iron railing, a central bay front porch, and a denticulated cornice. The 1/1 windows are early, but not original. [Individually listed on the National Register, 1978]" ~ NRHP Document for Locust Street Historic District

"The Franz Schwarzer House, located at 2 Walnut Street along the Missouri River in Washington, Missouri, is one building of two distinct parts and styles: clapboarded cottage and Victorian brick home. The clapboarded section, built before 1868, 2 is a two-story, gable-roofed structure with a one-story, lean-to addition on the southwest. Adjoining the clapboarded section on the northeast is a two-story, hip-roofed brick dwelling of ell-shaped plan, added in 1872. Assymetrical design, pronounced verticality and fanciful details evidenced in an ornate widow's walk and gingerbread porch/balcony lend a distinctive Victorian air of informal elegance to the latter structure, a building otherwise representative of the excellent German brickwork typical of 19th century Washington." ~ NRHP Nomination Form

House Site:
"The Franz Schwarzer House, overlooking the Missouri River from its location at 2 Walnut Street, was originally part of a large park including the Schwarzer zither factory, relic house, greenhouse, carriage house and other outbuildings as well as extensive gardens which covered all of Block 19 and part of Block 20 of the original town of Washington. The present property covers approximately 2 1/3 lots of the northeast end of Block 19. The original frame carriage house remains on the extreme southwest boundary of the property. A gravel drive extends from Walnut Street to the center of the property. A brick patio and walk have been created to approximate the original brickwork; part of the original brick walk does remain at the northeast and southeast of the house. An original cast iron fountain is in use on the southwest patio. The property is well landscaped with shrubs and evergreen and flowering trees. Unfortunately, the present view of the Missouri River is marred by the presence of a large sand-dredging operation located across the railroad tracks. For some time the city of Washington and the Army Corps of Engineers^have planned to create a riverfront park, which would involve the removal of the unsightly sand plant. A completion date of June, 1979 was established, however there is no evidence of any progress toward that goal. It is hoped that the placement of the Franz Schwarzer House on the National Register of Historic Places would revive community interest in the historic value and beauty of the riverfront area and provide a catalyst for the eventual creation of the planned park." ~ NRHP Nomination Form