891 DOUGLAS AVENUE
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
David and Margaret McBride moved into 891 Douglas after it was built in 1917. David McBride and his brother started the McBride Brothers Company in 1903, dealing predominantly in farm machinery and equipment. When the popularity of automobile ownership skyrocketed in the 1920s, the McBride brothers capitalized on the shift by adding cars to their inventory, focusing on the Buick brand.
When David died in 1927, his obituary penned that he was one of the first people to own a car in the city. When Margaret McBride, David’s widow, died in 1939, 891 Douglas was turned over to Flossie McBride Parkin. Parkin sold the home in 1943, and by 1965 the house was a rental property, a form in which it remained for roughly 50 years.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
891 Douglas Avenue is an excellent example of Prairie Style architecture and is considered by the nomination form for the Spring-Douglas Historic District as contributing to the historic significance of the area. The Prairie style was largely popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright and featured architectural elements acknowledging the horizontality of the Midwest's landscape. Some common features of the Prairie style seen here in 891 Douglas include the low pitched roof with wide eave overhangs; a hipped dormer with a horizontal band of windows; a full width, deep front porch; and the masonry exterior material. Additionally, the small touches of geometric patterns of small-pane window glazing are indicative of the style.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2002 Heritage Plaque Application