827 PROSPECT BOULEVARD
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
In 1882, Charles Kern purchased lot 19 along Prospect Boulevard and began buying materials to build his home. As he worked on the construction, however, he realized that he had built upon lot 20 instead of his lot 19. Kern approached the owner of lot 20, Jermon B. Leake and worked out a transaction that effectively swapped ownership to accommodate Kern’s error. All seemed well until Leake rescinded his acceptance and tried selling the property out from under Kern. A trail ensued, but Kern and his family eventually owned lot 20, where Charles had built the home.
In June of 1885, Charles Kern sold the house to his mother, Anna, for the price of one dollar. The home stayed in the Kern family until 1903 when the home was sold to an unknown new owner.
In 1925, Edward Pease purchased the home, until he sold it in 1965. He took on a number of remodeling projects including the front porch and interior projects including the kitchen.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The front facing gabled house at 827 Prospect Boulevard is a nice example of the one-and-half-story Bungalow type. Bungalows frequently exhibited full or partial-width porches with a rectangular plan and prevailed during the 1920s largely because of their affordability. This home has a number of significant features including the full-width porch with classic columns, wood clapboard throughout the exterior, a brick chimney and 3-over-1 double-hung windows.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 1993 Heritage Plaque Application; Audio: TextAloud