Admirers of the work of Louis Curtiss don’t normally associate the architect with the Colonial Revival, yet this house in Kansas City is an interesting example of the style and it demonstrates the architect’s versatility. Despite the outwardly staid impression of the house, some of the quirkiness Curtiss is known for does emerge in many of the smaller details in the house.
Built for attorney Frank Fullerton Brumback, the house at 500 E. 36th St. in Kansas City was built in 1909. Brumback’s wife, artist Louise Upton Brumback, decorated some of the walls in the house with her murals; they do not appear to survive today. Thanks to a new listing on Zillow, we can take a peek at the house:
The imposing façade has more mass and less void than what is typical of most Colonial Revivals. Image source: zillow.com
The ironwork in the gate screams Louis Curtiss! Image source: zillow.com
The architrave of the entry is of Classical inspiration. Image source: zillow.com
The newel post, with its small corner elaborations beneath the cap, whispers Louis Curtiss. Note the alternating widths of the wainscot panels. Image source: zillow.com
Living Room. Image source: zillow.com
I’m trying to imagine the scenes that Louise Upton Brumback likely decorated these walls with… Image source: zillow.com
A better view of the newel posts and the typically Curtissian detailing of them. Image source: zillow.com
The complete Zillow listing may be seen here. Image source: zillow.com
When I was researching the history of Curtiss’s Canadian hometown of Belleville, Ontario, it occurred to me that his inspiration for the Brumback house may well have been the 1835 Belleville residence of Billa Flint, a prominent local businessman. The Flint house has similar parapet gables bearing twin chimneys.
A recent photo shows the Flint house awaiting restoration. https://www.flickr.com/photos/vikpahwa/16083718452
A 1918 photo of a flooded street near Belleville’s Moira River shows Flint’s house in the right background. http://bit.ly/2PJYRid
Although popular legend has Curtiss coming from a wealthy merchant family, in reality his father Don Carlos Curtis filed bankruptcy and lost his store when Curtiss was three. The family, which grew to eight, subsisted on Don Carlos’s dry goods clerk salary.
A biography of Flint is here: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/flint_billa_12E.html
That’s fascinating! It’s not hard to see that the Flint house could have easily been an influence here. I did not previously know anything about Curtiss’s childhood; thanks for the background! Knowing more about him makes his work all the more interesting.
I noticed that you mention that the gate “screams Curtiss”. Do you think that the C on the gate could be for Curtiss as a possible home for him before Brumback bought it?
That’s an interesting possibility which I had not considered (I believe that the house was commissioned by Brumback). I’m assuming that the house would have been too traditional for the decidedly bohemian Curtiss. I had also assumed that the “C” was for the current (or previous) owner(s), but I don’t know for sure as I don’t know anything about either (it would not be difficult to modify the gate for any initial). A look at the surnames of current and past owners might answer that question!
Hope it’s okay if I jump in here, as I probably have more Louis Curtiss documentation than anyone else. I doubt that the ‘C’ on the gate is original, for a couple of reasons:
1) The building permit for the Brumback house was issued in May 1909, about the time Curtiss’s Studio Building on McGee was being finished. For several years after Curtiss’s Studio was completed, he gave his address to the city directory as a rather vague “59th and Troost.” For financial reason, I suspect he was quietly living on the third floor of his own building from 1909 on.
2) The Brumbacks lived in the house only about ten years. Their son was killed in World War I, and they relocated to New York in 1919. No doubt the house harbored painful memories for them.
3) The second owner of the house was Nancy Bell Crowe, who divorced her philandering husband John R. Crowe while living there. Nancy was an heiress, the daughter of Victor Buchanan Bell, one of the founders of KC’s Long-Bell Lumber Company. The ‘C’ was likely installed by her.
Thoughts?
Thanks for your insight… I think you’ve likely nailed it!
This beautiful home is the 51st Symphony Designers’ Showhouse and will have a public preview January 11,12, 18 and 19. Designers will also stage the home to be open again April 11-May 10, 2020.
Our historian has uncovered a lot of the history already and solved the mystery of the C on the gate. It was installed in the late 1990’s when the pool was installed. The gate came from England and was the middle initial of the home owner at the time Edward C. Thornton.
I can also confirm that the home maintains the original chandeliers in the “Spanish Room” from 1909. The dining room also contains a chandelier from the Glenwood Manor hotel in Overland Park.
Interesting, but why would Thornton put his middle initial on the gate rather than a “T”? Fred Shaw’s speculation that the “C” represents Crowe seems far more likely. The four angular scrolls in the gate still strike me as very Curtissian. What kind of documentation has your historian provided?
Our Historian talked with Mr. Thornton’s partner. She was able to track him down on the east coast and is sending photos of their remodels!
Historic photos are always fun! If any show the interior during or prior to the renovations I would love to be able to post them here!
I still don’t understand why anyone would put their middle initial on a gate rather than their last initial… it simply doesn’t make sense to me. Aside from recollections, are there any more tangible forms of documentation such as receipts or written correspondence?
I hope to tour the Designers’ Showhouse in April (if not sooner).
I think KC Architecture Fan’s assessment that the fence is a later addition is correct. The KC Public Library has a collection of landmarks over the years and one of those is an early 1980s photo of the Brumback house showing the house sans fence. Photo here: http://bit.ly/500E36th
Given that the gate was architectural salvage, I’m not sure I’d put a lot of weight on the initial it bears. When you’re buying old things custom made for others, sometimes you have to take them as they are.
It does make sense the property didn’t need a fence until the swimming pool triggered the requirement. Good observation, KC Architecture Fan.
The “C” does makes sense given that the gate appears to be a salvaged piece and not custom-made for the house.
Because of the similarity of some aspects of this gate to known examples of ironwork by Curtiss (such as that at the Corrigan House) I had wrongly assumed the gate to be original. Clearly the surrounding fence is of recent origin. It’s always nice to have a mystery resolved (thanks, KC Architecture Fan!).
Further confirmation comes from Lea Desmarteau, whose parents Merl and Raylene Desmarteau acquired the house in the late 1970s and rehabbed it after it had served for years as a youth home. In her response to my email inquiry, Lea said:
“No, the fence is not original. It was put up after my parents sold the house. I remember the house well, and lived through the rehab which was a fascinating to watch the transformation. My Mother, Raylene Scott Desmarteau, who had interior design degree, did an amazing job of restoring it back to it’s glory.”
Thank you for providing the link to the photo in the 80’s Fred Shaw! We have started to collect photos and our historian has talked with a couple of the Desmarteau family members and asked for photos of their renovations.
I hope you can all visit the home in a couple of weeks!
It is fascinating also to notice some of the architectural parallels between the previous mansion that Frank and Louise Brumback resided in on 4019 Warwick Blvd, and this elaborately detailed house. Primarily, the newel and fireplace design. I wonder if these were designed according to the wishes of the owners who wanted to retain something from the charm of their first residence as a married couple.