County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: N 4th St., 2nd house S of Washington St., W side, St. Charles
Built: 1893
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Folk Victorian
Original Occupant: Adolph Thro
Map
"16. 129 North Fourth Street; Folk Victorian; circa 1893; Contributing
Facing east, this 1½-story, frame, Folk Victorian cottage has a steeply pitched, side-gabled roof with a large cross-gabled wing projecting from the center of the façade. An interior chimney is near the center of the house and an exterior end brick chimney is on the north wall of the front-gabled wing. On the south slope is a hipped dormer with a 2/2 window and walls finished with fish scale shingles. The walls of the house are clad with vinyl siding and the gable ends have vinyl fish scale shingles. On the façade of the front-gabled wing is a canted bay window (with 3 multi-paned windows) and on the second floor above is a 2/2 wood window. In the bay north of this wing is a 1/1 window. On the east wall of the southern gabled wing is a 6-panel wood door, with the upper 4 panels being leaded glass. To each side of
the door are leaded glass sidelights set above paneled skirts. The door opens onto a 1-bay portico with concrete deck and turned post supporting the low hip roof.
a. Garage; Noncontributing
The modern 2-car garage has a side-gabled roof, vertical board siding and a vinyl paneled overhead door." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1890 ca.
Style/Design: Folk Victorian
Built prior to 1893 when it appears on the first fire insurance map to cover this part of St. Charles (and not shown on the 1867 Bird's Eye View), the house was originally identified as a 1.5 story T-shaped house on the 1893 map, but had an addition on the rear added by 1900. There appears to be some errors in the fire insurance maps since the 1900 and 1917 maps identify this as a one story house, but it is again identified as 1.5 stories in 1929. Between 1900 and 1906, the address numbering changed from 113 to 129 since the listing in the next city directory in 1906 addressed it as 129 N. 4th . That year, Adolph and Louise Thro lived in the house. He worked at Thro Clothing Company (with John B. and John B. Thro, Jr.) at 137 N. Main. By 1908-1909, the
directory listed Mrs. Anna Dieckmann (widow of Henry) replaced the Thro family. She remained at least through 1918-1919, that year listed in the directory as the homeowner. At some point during her tenure, it appears that the corner porch on the façade was added (or else it was an omission on the 1909 map since it appears on the next fire insurance map in 1917). It is likely that this renovation also added the bay window on the façade, which is never shown on the fire insurance maps. County tax records indicate a date of construction as 1920, which is in error, but may be an indication of the date of this renovation, although the porch is shown on the 1917 fire insurance map.
The next owner, Polyte Hunn , is listed in the 1921-22 directory. The Hunns remained in the house until 1931-1932, but in that year’s directory Mrs. Anna Hunn was listed (and identified as the homeowner) rather than Polyte Hunn, probably indicating that he had died. In the real estate listings compiled by the St. Charles Historical Society, a 12/3/32 ad is recorded for this address with Mrs. Anna Hunn for the price of $3,200. It notes that the property included the house with 4 rooms on the first floor and 3 rooms on the second floor. By 1936, William B. Stoll, Jr. was the homeowner,
remaining at least through 1961 when research stopped.
"This 1.5 story, frame, Folk Victorian cottage has a steeply pitched, side gabled roof with a large crossed gabled wing centered on
the facade. To the south side of this wing is the shed roofed extension of the main roof over the front entry corner porch which is
nestled into the interior corner between the cross gables. This porch has a concrete floor and step, with a spindlework post at the
outer corner. The outer corner of the house at the back of this porch has a clipped corner which serves as a two leaded glass
lights over half panel side light for the adjacent front entry door on the east elevation of the house. The door appears to be a
modern replacement with 4 leaded glass lights in the upper half over 2 vertical panels. On the facade of the central front wing
there is a canted bay window (with 3 multipaned sashed windows) and on the second floor above is a 2/2 wood sashed window.
In the bay north of this wing, there is a 1/1 window nestled on the east wall behind the exterior brick chimney attached to the north
wall of the central front wing. To the south of this central front wing, there is a hipped dormer. There is also another brick interior
chimney near the center of the house. The house has been reclad with vinyl siding, shutters, and soffits. Some of the windows
have been replaced, especially those in the bay window, but it does retain the 2/2 historic window on the second floor facade. It
has fishscale shingles in the gable end of the central front wing, but these may be vinyl replacements, although they maintain the
Folk Victorian appearance of the house, along with the turned porch column and the original building form with its complex
roofline and its irregular cross plan configuration that is distinctive to Folk Victorian houses.
"Behind the house, and not visible from the street is a modern two car garage with a side gabled roof, vertical board siding and a
vinyl paneled overhead door. It is noncontributing to the historic district." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase I, PDF pages 491-495