907 PORTER AVE

907 PORTER AVE

Eau Claire

Eau Claire

1923

1948

1981

house

Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival

Brick

No

This large, nearly rectangular building is two stories tall and of brick construction. A medium gable roof covers the main block of the structure which features a symmetrically balanced facade focused on a central entrance. To either side of the entrance are four, six over six sash windows accented by prominent keystones and sills. (Note: There have been some window modifications. These are evident at the southwest corner of the building on both the south and west facades.) Above the entrance which itself is marked by an elliptical fanlight, sidelights, and a gabled portico is an undistinguished paired window opening. Small oval windows flank the opening. A large centrally located dormer is also featured. Covered by a gable roof that is supported by paired pilasters, the dormer contains a Palladian window, a feature common to the Colonial Revival style. Further distinguishing the structure are block modillions identifying the eave line and outlining the pediment that is formed on the south gable end of the building. A Palladian window decorates the pediment.

At the north end of the building is a two story addition set back somewhat from the plane of the main portion of the structure and containing garage space. The three bay section continues the architectural characteristics of the larger block.

In 1948 the private residence was converted to a five family apartment building.

The John S. Owen House is significant for its association with one of Eau Claire's most recognized lumber barons. John S. Owen, who arrived in Eau Claire in 1873, had diverse lumber holdings, was involved in several commercial and industrial enterprises, and took an active interest in civic affairs. His position within the community reflects the dominance of the lumber industry and the men who controlled it.

Owen's residence (This is the second home he constructed in Eau Claire. The first was demolished.) most closely represents his broad-based business and community commitments. It is also one of the small number of lumber baron homes remaining in the city.

Born in Charleston, Michigan, Owen (1849-1939) married Cora Rust, daughter of Aloney Rust, a Michigan lumberman. In 1873 he and his wife moved to Eau Claire, a city located in an area where the Rust family owned approximately 37,000 acres. Initially the Michigan native was employed by Henry C. Putnam, a primary figure in the location of land for Cornell University, as a clerk and probably as a timber scout. With this introduction to the pinelands and his connection to the Rust family, Owen easily launched a career in the lumber industry, which embraced major investments in a number of regional lumber companies: the John S. Owen Company, the Rust Owen Lumber Company, the Westville Lumber Company, the West Eau Claire Lumber Company, and the West Superior Lumber Company.

In the last decade of the nineteenth century, when the exhaustion of timber resoruces in western and northern Wisconsin was apparent, Owen, like other lumbermen, began purchasing timber lands in Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. After the turn of the century, he began investing in land on the west coast, in the states of California and Oregon. The Owen-Oregon Lumber Company, an Oregon-based concern incorporated in 1924, became Owen's last and largest venture.

Added to Owen's lumber holdings were several other business interests, including the Chippewa Valley Railway, Light and Power Company, the Union National Bank, and the Eau Claire Park Company (a real estate business). His public service encompassed a position as Eau Claire's park commissioner (1889) and terms on the Wisconsin State Highway Commission (1911-1921) and the Federal Reserve Board of Minneapolis (1915-1923). In 1913-14 Owen donated land along the Chippewa River for a city park, now known as Owen Park.

John Owen's first residence, a large frame structure, was located directly across the street from this home. A portion of the cedar block driveway that led to the residence is still visible. In 1923 when John Owen moved to this building, his son, Ralph, occupied the older structure. It was demolished in 1939-41.

2016- "John S. Owen married Cora Rust, the daughter of a Michigal lumber baron who owned 37,000 acres of land in the Eau Claire area. In 1873, they moved to Eau Claire where he was initially employed by Henry Putnam, agent for or part owner of much of the best pineland on the Chippewa River.

Through his connections with Putnam and his postion in the Rust family, John S. Owen became one of Eau Claire's most powerful lumber barons. In 1913-14, Owen donated land along the Chippewa River for a city park, now known as Owen Park.

This house, Owen's second residence, was converted to a five-family apartment building in 1948. There has been an addition to the north side. Owen's first residence, a massive brick and frame structure, had been located across the street. A portion of the cedar block driveway leading to its carriage house still remains, although the house itself was demolished, about 1940."
-"Eau Claire Landmarks: Designated Historic Properties in Eau Claire, Wisconsin", Eau Claire Landmarks Commission, P.O. Box 5148, 2016.

(A) 1923 Eau Claire City Directory. (B) Assessor's Card - City Assessor's Office. (C) Fisher, D. 1964. "The John S. Owen Enterprises." PhD. dissertation, University of Wisconsin. (D) LaLonde, J. 1979. Medford Corporation: A History of an Oregon Logging and Lumber Company, pp. 27-29. (E) Barland, L. 1960. Sawdust City, p. 133. Eau Claire Landmarks booklet published by the Landmarks Commission in 2002.

Owen, John S., House

Jan 28, 1983

Jan 01, 1989