The use of Flemish bond as an upscale brick-laying technique lost popularity in many urban areas in the 1830’s (along with Federal-style architecture, also known as Adam), but it persisted in many smaller communities after that time. It experienced a renewed popularity in the late nineteenth- and early-twentieth centuries with the newly-fashionable Colonial Revival style. Being more labor-intensive than simpler bonds, it was often used only for the main façade of better-quality buildings. Flemish bond is easily recognized by its pattern of alternating headers and stretchers (short and long sides of a brick). Courses are staggered for a visually pleasing effect. It is commonly seen on Colonial-era houses — and there aren’t a lot of those in the western Midwest!
Therefore, I was surprised to see an example of Flemish bond brickwork which long pre-dated the Colonial Revival… in Kansas of all places! Built in 1839, the West Building of the Shawnee Indian Mission (also known as the Shawnee Methodist Mission) in Fairway is one of the oldest structures in the state. The area was sparsely populated then; building a structure with this level of refinement must have been somewhat unusual at the time as Kansas was not even officially a territory until 1854 and it did not become a state until 1861. The interior retains late Federal-style detailing. In short, this place is highly noteworthy.
In their Guide to Kansas Architecture, co-authors David H. Sachs and George Erlich completely miss the point when describing the three surviving structures which comprise the Shawnee Indian Mission (including the West Building) in this way: “…the simple red-brick structures are representative of the sturdy, unselfconscious construction used in the frontier period.” Since when has Flemish bond been thought of as “simple” or “unselfconscious”? As if Federal-style mantelpieces with delicate moldings or 9-over-6 windows with jack arches and back banded interior casings were typical of the Kansas frontier! This structure is more representative of what had been going on earlier “back East” than it is of the the Kansas frontier at that time. Truly simple and unselfconscious masonry buildings of the frontier period would not be styled, would not utilize Flemish bond and most likely would have stout lintels made of wood or stone rather than the brick jack arches seen here.
No mention is made of the Flemish bond façade in the National Register nomination form for the building, either – something which should have surprised me but, sadly, did not. The section of the form which highlights the building’s areas of significance notes only “Education”. The “Architecture” category was left unchecked indicating that the structure’s design was of no particular significance!
At some point the porch seen in a 1940 Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) photo was removed (presumably to re-create an earlier appearance) and a smaller, purely conjectural, porch was added! This did not surprise me, either. The second-floor window above the door – as seen in the HABS photo – is wider than adjacent windows and appears to be the same width as the door below it. It would make sense that this opening was originally a door but it, too, has since been altered – making this likelihood more difficult to prove conclusively. Houses of similar age and style with such a door on the second floor survive in adjacent Missouri, however, so it’s not wild speculation.
Update!
5/20/18 I was able to find some additional photos of the West Building – one of which does indeed show a door in the place of the second floor’s current center window c. 1920! The other photos, taken in 1975, show a conjectural and Greek Revival styled porch which appears to date to a tragic and incompetent attempt at a restoration done in 1968 by the Kansas State Historical Society – probably at the same time that the original wide opening (former door location) on the second story was converted into a narrow window. This makes no sense! The building has long been recognized as being of historic significance yet it ends up losing some of its architectural integrity at the very hands of its “protectors” and in the name of “restoration”! Two of these photos will follow the ones already posted.
As it stands today, the house has differing window sash styles on the front, neither of which are original. An original doorway on the second floor had previously been converted to a wide window prior to 1940, but now has been narrowed to the width of the surrounding windows! A second, late nineteenth century porch, was destroyed to create a purely conjectural porch. Then that was removed and the current porch was built. The appearance of the front today does not accurately reflect the appearance of the building during the time of its historic significance – one of the very things that such museums ostensibly exist for. Let’s take a look at an incredibly rare (is there another?), 1830’s, Federal-style, Flemish bond façade in Kansas:
The 1839 Shawnee Indian Mission’s West Building as it appears today. Visible repairs to the masonry reveal an earlier porch location. The existing porch is better than the 1968 replacement, but still relies on conjecture. Changes to the center window have been made; mortar joints below the window are lighter in color (like the infill at the sides) which suggests that originally there may have been a door in this location. The existing windows are replacements but the jambs appear to be original. I would expect to see 9-over-6 sash in the shorter second story windows (like those surviving on the rear elevation) and 9-over-9 in the taller main floor windows. Many variations of sash involving 6, 9 and 12 panes are found in Federal-style houses. Window openings below are four brick courses taller than the openings above – enough to accommodate an extra row of glass panes. The pane sizes of the transom above the door appear to match those of surviving sash on the second story of the rear elevation. UPDATE: 11/29/19 I’ve since run across an early photo of the West Building which shows a porch similar to the second attempt seen above (and which no doubt inspired it). The Kansas State Historical Society photo is inaccurately labeled as being taken in 1928 and clearly predates the Victorian-era porch which followed). So, this current porch is very close to the original. Hopefully one day the center window will be restored to a doorway and the current window sash will be replaced with proper 9-over-9 and 9-over-6 sash. Here’s a link to the photo which shows that the original Federal style window sash had already been replaced by the time the photo was taken. It appears in an article which was published just a week after I posted about the Mission. The article offers some fascinating insight into the man that built the Mission… it’s definitely a good read!
Detail of the Flemish bond façade.
Around the corner, brick coursing becomes more conventional; here it is done in Common bond though with an inconsistent spacing of header courses. Jack arches add another level of sophistication to the façade.
Detail of jack arch (also known as a flat arch). In more refined examples, the bricks may be gauged (tapered). Though these bricks are not tapered, their ends have been shaped to maintain horizontal mortar joints.
Windows on the end of the building were clearly cut in later; they rely on steel rather than jack arches to carry the weight of the brick above them. The wing to the right was an early addition.
This end of the structure retains its integrity as built; no windows have been cut into it.
9-over-6 windows may be seen on the second floor of the original structure; this is what should be on the second floor of the front. The back wing is an early addition.
The door and transom appear to be original. The visible hardware is all 20th-century. I was holding the screen door open with my foot, so this is not the best photograph possible!
This is how the house looked roughly 20 years ago when I first noticed the Flemish bond façade. The first conjectural porch had been removed, but the present porch had yet to be built. First floor windows are 1-over-1 rather than the present 4-over-4. The decision to install 4-over-4 (rather than historically correct 9-over-9) sash no doubt came from the same type of mentality that thought a conjectural Greek Revival porch (and removal of the original second story door) would be appropriate changes to the historic building!
This is how the house appeared in 1940. A late Victorian-era porch was still intact and the window above the door had yet to be narrowed. I see no indication of a disturbance to the masonry around the center window… I suspect that this wide opening was originally a door like the one directly below it. Or it may have originally been a wider window. It is seen here with wide 6-over-6 sash in it. It would be fun to study the original photo with a magnifying glass… I’d also like to study the jack arch above the window for clues. Unfortunately, the balustrade prohibits me from seeing what the masonry below the sill looks like – a good indication as to whether or not this was intended to be a door like the one below it. The other windows had already been changed to 2-over-2 or 1-over-1 sash styles prior to 1940; I don’t understand why the first floor window sashes on the front today are 4-over-4s… that is very odd. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey – Lester Jones, Photographer, 1940.
Another HABS image – this one of the interior! A late Federal-period mantel features delicate moldings showing that this structure was surprisingly refined for the wild “Unorganized” territory in which it was built. Kansas was not officially a territory until 1854 and did not become a state until 1861. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey – Lester Jones, Photographer, 1940.
A similar mantel in another room. Parging over the masonry has been “striped” – painted to resemble brick mortar joints. The opening, presumably once fitted with a coal burner, has been filled. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey – Lester Jones, Photographer, 1940.
Additional Photos:
This image, which likely dates to the 1920’s, clearly shows a door on the second story leading to the porch. Future research may one day reveal more about the porch seen here.
This 1975 photo shows the purely conjectural Greek Revival (why?) porch built in 1968 as part of a “restoration”. As the old saying goes, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions”! It appears to me that a cold joint is visible below the center window of the second floor indicating the jamb location of the original door… It’s hard to believe that the original presence of the door was not known about in 1968. Photo credit: Stephen Lissandrello, 1975. National Register of Historic Places Property Photograph Form.
It seems that you have made an extraordinary discovery!
A very early Kansas house with Flemish bond! In Kansas!
I am astonished by this, and also astonished that nobody seems to have noted the true significance of this house. I smiled when I read your quote from Guide to Kansas Architecture: “the simple red-brick structures”. Yes, Flemish bond is NOT simple!
When I first glanced at the images the house seemed attractive but not, well, remarkable. But after reading your observations I can now see/appreciate the true beauty of this structure, its considerable historical importance, and its extreme rarity.
Thank you for feeding my brain!
Well done, my man, well done!
I first noticed this about 20 years ago and wrote about it on a previous website of mine which had even fewer readers than this one! People don’t expect to see late Federal-period Flemish bond this far west and, to be fair, there is so little of it in the region that many people in the area just aren’t familiar enough with it to recognize it. Not to mention the fact that the Midwest in general has never been known as a hotbed of conscientious historic preservation or elevated architectural awareness! But still one would expect that somebody tasked with the interpretation of this historic site would have noticed this long ago. It’s part of the building’s story and needs to be included as it shows the building to be more refined that was previously acknowledged (making it even more special for its place and time).