Ellwood House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ellwood House
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| Location | 509 N. 1st St., De Kalb, Illinois |
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| Area | 8.2 acres (3.3 ha) |
| Built | 1879 |
| Architect | George O. Garnsey |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival, Victorian, Georgian, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75002075 |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1975 |
The Ellwood House is a beautiful old home built in 1879. It was the private house of Isaac Ellwood, a very successful businessman. He was famous for his work with barbed wire. You can find this house in DeKalb, Illinois.
The house was designed in the Victorian style by George O. Garnsey. It was changed and updated several times, first in 1898-1899 and again in 1911. The Ellwood House was once part of a huge property, about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) big! This land also had a large stable area called "Ellwood Green." Isaac Ellwood lived here until 1910. Then, he gave the estate to his son, Perry Ellwood.
After Perry Ellwood took over, he changed the house a lot, both inside and out. This is why the Ellwood House now has parts from many different building styles. In 1964, the house was given to the city of DeKalb. It was then turned into a museum. The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The Ellwood House Museum has six other buildings besides the main house. There's a 50-foot (15 m) tall water tower on the west side. Closer to the main house is a 14 feet (4.3 m) tall miniature Stick style house. You can also visit the Visitor Center. It was built as an addition to the Perry Ellwood family's old garage. There's also a museum house. This building once held Harriet Ellwood's (Isaac's wife) collection of interesting "curiosities." The property also includes the "Ellwood-Nehring House." This was a wedding gift to Perry and May Ellwood in 1898.
Contents
History of the Ellwood House
Building the Mansion
Work on the main house started in April 1879. George O. Garnsey, an architect from Chicago, designed it. He created the Ellwood Mansion for Isaac Ellwood. Isaac was a barbed wire businessman from DeKalb. At that time, Garnsey had designed other buildings in nearby towns. By November 1879, the Ellwood family was living in their new home. Old newspaper stories say it cost between US$40,000 and $50,000.
The first Ellwood House had many features of Victorian homes. It mixed several styles. Its unique mansard roof is still one of its most striking parts. The house also has Gothic columns, pointed gables, and a metal roof decoration.
Famous Visitors and Parties
When Isaac Ellwood lived in the house, he often held large dinner parties. These were very popular in the 1800s. Many important people visited the Ellwood House. Theodore Roosevelt ate dinner there in 1900. At that time, he was running to become Vice President of the United States. U.S. Senators and state governors also dined in the Ellwood House. Dinner parties at the Ellwood House followed old customs. Guests would "dress up" for the party. They had to follow proper etiquette and know how to use the silverware correctly.
How the House Changed Over Time
The first big changes to the Ellwood Mansion happened around 1898-1899. Isaac Ellwood wanted these updates. He wanted the house to look more like the popular Georgian and Colonial Revival styles. Many of the original Gothic features were replaced. More Classical elements were added. Outside, a portico (a porch with columns) and a porte-cochere (a covered driveway) were added. Inside, the dining room became larger. A round bay window was added on the north side.
Perry Ellwood took over the house in 1910. He and his wife, May Ellwood, changed the mansion again. The biggest changes were adding a terrace on the south side. They also added a sunroom wing. The porte-cochere was moved to the north side of the portico. This is how the mansion looks today.
During World War II, after Perry Ellwood died in 1943, May Ellwood changed the house again. To save fuel oil, she closed off the upper floors. During this time, the library was used as a guest room. A bathroom was added near the library. This bathroom was removed before the house opened as a museum in 1967. The library's plaster decorations have been fixed. They now look like they did in a 1912 photograph. In 1964, the house was given to the city of DeKalb. It was then turned into a museum.
What the House Looks Like
Outside the House
The Ellwood House is a three-story brick house. It has a raised basement and a mansard roof. The roof has steeply sloped gabled dormers (windows that stick out from the roof). Plain chimneys and iron decorations stick out from the roofline. The original roof was made of slate. The 1879 version of the Ellwood House had fancy decorations on the dormers. The first windows were simple and double-hung. They appeared alone or in pairs. They also had different designs above them. The front of the house looked very different back then.
The front entrance has been completely changed. This was due to Perry Ellwood's 1911 remodeling. The original entrance had a one-story stone porch. It was supported by two flat columns and two granite columns. This square porch was connected to the ground by 12 stone steps. In the southeast corner of the house was a tall, three-story tower. It was set at an angle to the rest of the front.
Isaac Ellwood's changes in 1898-1899 were mostly on the surface. They were not as big as his son's changes later. He replaced the bracketed cornice (the decorative molding at the top of a wall) with a more Classical one. This new cornice had dentils (small block-like shapes). The window tops were changed to match the new cornice. On the tower, two first-floor windows were replaced with one larger window. The part that stuck out over the east portico was removed. It was made flat with the rest of the house. The windows over that portico were replaced with a heavy double door. This door opened onto the roof over the veranda, which covered the entire front of the house. During this time, the first porte-cochere was built on the south side of the home.
Perry Ellwood made major changes in 1910. He added and changed rooms. Outside, the porte-cochere was moved from the south side to its current spot on the north side. On the south side of the house, a large brick terrace was added. The conservatory (a glass room for plants) was moved to the back (west) of the house. The tall tower on the southwest corner was completely removed during this renovation.
Inside the House
The general layout inside the house has stayed mostly the same. Rooms on each floor are reached through a large central hallway. This hallway ends in a fancy rotunda (a round room). However, some changes in 1910 and 1911 did alter the inside. The parlor (a sitting room) became the library. The old library was turned into the dining room after an extension was added. In the northwest corner, a large kitchen was added. On the second floor, the room above the kitchen became living quarters for servants.
When guests entered the Ellwood House, they would have been greeted by the family. After Perry Ellwood inherited the house in 1910, the entry parlor became known as the library. A beautiful carved Italian marble mantle is a main feature of the library. A large gold mirror hangs above it. The library's bookshelves are made of fine mahogany wood. They are in a Neo-Italian Renaissance style. Today, the shelves are filled with books that have the Ellwood family's nameplates. Near the library window, which has its original walnut shutters, is a French statue from the 1890s. This statue was given to the Ellwood House Association.
The dining room was greatly changed in 1898. This was because Isaac Ellwood became very famous. He partnered with Joseph Glidden in the barbed wire business. The room was made larger by adding a semi-circular bay. Besides the addition, the room was refurnished and redecorated. It was made to match the Georgian Revival changes happening outside. Features like mahogany wood panels and fancy molding were added. A cornice with Classical details and brackets were also included. Almost all the dining room's furniture and woodwork from 1898 were custom-made. Each piece has a dated brass plate. The main dining room table and chairs were in an early Georgian style. The table has twelve extra leaves that can make it very long. A smaller dining room table was in the bay addition. This table was used for Ellwood family breakfasts.
The Ellwood House living room did not exist until Perry Ellwood's 1911 changes. The original living room space was two rooms. They were joined by pocket doors (doors that slide into the wall). In the living room, a wall was removed. This created a large, open space. A vaulted ceiling was also added. Perry Ellwood designed his living room to work with the new sunroom and south terrace. Together, they formed one large space for living and entertaining. You can get to the terrace through French doors from both the living room and sunroom. The living room was designed to look like English country houses from the 1650s. The room was designed by Roy Terwilliger. He was an interior designer and May Ellwood's cousin. The living room has a special "pargework" ceiling. It is made of molded plaster with a geometric design. The large Caen stone fireplace was carved in Chicago in 1911. The sunroom was designed in the late 1800s and early 1900s Arts and Crafts style. This makes it look very different from the living room. The room originally had Mission style furniture. This furniture matched the oak woodwork.
Visiting the Ellwood House Museum
In 1964, May Ellwood gave the house to the DeKalb Park District. She wanted it to be a historic house museum. The Ellwood House property is about 8.5 acres (34,000 m2) big. It includes a wooded area north of the house. This is all that is left of the original 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) property. The house is now a museum. It is run by the Ellwood House Association and the DeKalb Park District. They offer guided tours for a fee.
The museum offers tours during certain seasons. They start in late spring and end after the yearly holiday celebration in December. The Ellwood House Museum has a visitor's center. This center includes a barbed wire gallery. It also has a carriage gallery, special exhibits, and a gift shop. The museum lets visitors see what life was like for the Ellwood family. The grounds are open to the public. They can be rented for public and private events. The DeKalb Area Garden Club holds a Flower Show each year. People also have weddings in the garden or visitor's center. The Ellwood House Association holds an Art Show, Ice Cream Social, and other events.
Other Cool Buildings on the Property
The Ellwood House grounds have several other buildings. These include the museum house, the carriage house, the water tower, and the Little House.
The Water Tower
On the west side of the Ellwood House, there is a round limestone water tower. It is about 50 feet (15 m) tall and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide. The tower has windows at different levels. These windows are arched and have special keystones in their design. The water tower was built in 1879, the same year as the Ellwood House. Back then, it had a wooden water tank with a cone-shaped roof. Between 1897 and 1910, the wooden tank was removed. It was replaced with more stone that matched the original tower. The arched door at the bottom was replaced with a larger square double door. The roof stayed cone-shaped and wooden until about 1950. Then, it was replaced with sheet metal.
The water tower is the only building left from Isaac Ellwood's large horse stable area. This complex was called "Ellwood Green." It was connected to the family's Percheron horse business. Two main buildings in the complex were brick stables from 1879. Both had mansard roofs. Those buildings, and all other original stable buildings, were torn down over the years. Only the water tower remains.
The Carriage House
Another building on the property is often called the carriage house. But it never actually held carriages! It was built to hold automobiles (cars). The southern part of the carriage house was built between 1908 and 1912. It has a mansard roof. The building is covered in stucco (a type of plaster). Today, it holds a collection of old carriages and sleighs. It also has a barbed wire history museum.
The carriage house is now the Ellwood House Museum's Education and Visitors Center. Perry Ellwood built it as a garage for many cars. It even had a pit for car repairs. On the second floor, there was an apartment for the Ellwood family's chauffeur (driver). The building originally had garage doors on both sides. Cars could drive in one side and out the other. The original doors are now on display inside the Ellwood House Visitors Center.
The Museum House
The one-story red brick Museum House is another building on the site. It stands south of the main house. It was built in 1905 for Isaac Ellwood's wife, Harriett. The Ellwood grandchildren called this building the "Curiosity Shop." Harriett used it to store the many interesting items she collected while traveling. Some of these items included Native American artifacts, minerals, seashells, and other specimens. The museum house is almost exactly 25 feet (7.6 m) on all four sides. It has two doorways, one on the east and one on the north. Inside, some of the museum house's original oak display cases are still there.
The Museum House is in the Classical Revival style. It was the last building Isaac Ellwood built on the property. Today, the outside of the Museum House looks much like it did when it was new. But for many years, the building was in bad shape. After Harriet Ellwood died in 1910, the objects stayed inside. The building started to fall apart. By 1934, it needed serious repairs. By the 1970s, both porches were gone. The only way into the building was through the north door. The museum house was fixed up more than ten years later. Before the Visitors Center was added to the Carriage House, the Museum House was used as the visitor center. It also held staff offices.
The Little House
On the west side of the main house, near the carriage house, is a tiny Stick style house. It is known as Little House. Little House is 13 by 15 feet (4.0 by 4.6 m) and stands 14 feet (4.3 m) above its concrete foundation. Little House was built in 1892. Every carpenter in DeKalb helped build it. The house was meant to be a float in a local parade. After the parade, Isaac Ellwood's son, Will, bought the house. He had it placed on the Ellwood House property. It is still in the same spot today. The house was used by Will's two daughters. Later, Perry Ellwood's children used it too.
Between that time and 1973, the house had four or five other owners. It was moved several times. Eventually, the Little House ended up at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Burt Oderkirk. It was on Annie Glidden Road. There, it was again used as a playhouse for their children. At this point, it was painted white with green shutters. In 1973, Mrs. Oderkirk gave Little House to the Ellwood House Association. It was returned to its place on the Ellwood property. In 1986, the Little House was painted again. It was given a Victorian paint scheme.
Why the Ellwood House is Important
The Ellwood House is very important because of its connection to Isaac Ellwood. He is partly credited for Joseph Glidden's invention of barbed wire. Glidden got his patent earlier. So, Ellwood's exact role in the invention is not clear. However, he played a major part in making the barbed wire industry successful and profitable. Isaac Ellwood lived in this home during his later years. He made DeKalb his home throughout his time in the barbed wire business. The Ellwood House, along with four other important buildings on its 8.2-acre (33,000 m2) site, was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1975.
See also
- Chauncey Ellwood House
- Gurler House
- Jacob Haish
- Joseph F. Glidden House
- Sycamore Historic District
