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COUNCIL BLUFFS — Five homes in two of Council Bluffs' historic neighborhoods will be featured on the Historic Homes for the Holidays tour, sponsored by the Council Bluffs Historic Preservation Alliance. The tour is set for Dec. 6 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The St. Peters Carolers with Steve Beck and Brian Johnson will sing at each location. Tickets are $15 per person, or two for $25, and may be purchased at any of the five houses on the tour.
The German Bier Haus, 142 W. Broadway, built in the Romanesque Commercial style in 1892 to house the Vavra Dry Goods store, will hold a reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. after the tours. The 100 block of West Broadway where it sits has been designated a National Register Historic Commercial District.
The Willow/Bluff/Third Street District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Glen and Park Avenue District is in the nomination process for the National Register and is part of the recently organized Fairmount Park Neighborhood Association.
Homes in the Willow/Bluff/Third Street District
203 Fifth Ave.: This Craftsman/Prairie style home was built in 1922 by Elmer H. Doolittle and his wife, Marie. Doolittle was owner and manager of the Bluff City Lumber & Coal Co. and a prominent businessman, serving as president and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, director of the City National Bank of Council Bluffs, director of Rotary and treasurer and director of the Auditorium Co. The Martin Flynn family lived there for many years, and today it is the home of Chris and Steve Gorman.
528 Clark Ave.: The history of this Queen Anne house is unclear. In 1913, this was the address of Thomas D. Metcalf Jr., president of the Metcalf Co. clothiers. However, the style of the house suggests construction circa 1900. It could be an older house that was moved to this lot. By 1929, it was the home of John Hess, an attorney who began practicing law in Council Bluffs in 1895. He served as county attorney and, for 15 years, as special assistant to the attorney general for the state of Iowa. Joan and Dr. Charles Berner raised their family here, and today it is the home of Amy and David Adams.
Homes in the Fairmount Park District
200 Park Ave.: This Front-Gabled Cottage with classical and Queen Anne influences was built by Luzerba Bebbington in 1897. Early records show small, irregular parcels of land in this section of Park and Glen Avenues.
The lot at 200 Park was made up of a 24-foot-strip and a 16-foot-by-133-foot section. In 1866, the city planned to build a street here, but the strip of land was subsequently conveyed to a private owner. It was acquired by George Bebbington, a lumber dealer, in 1888. In 1890, the city tried to reclaim ownership but lost the lawsuit that followed, and in 1892, the city was forever barred from adding a street in that location.
The John Lutz family also lived in the residence, and for many years it was the home of the Betty and Al Leber family. Today, it is the home of Sharon Babbitt.
211 Park Ave.: Jay C. Aid, a steam railroad conductor, built this Foursquare house around 1909 and lived there until his death in 1930. His widow remained in the house until 1932. Another resident was Mildred Boland, and the Irene and Clyde Every family lived there for many years. Today, it is the home of the Every's granddaughter, Melissa Head.
223 Park Ave.: This Italianate/Gothic Revival house was built by Samuel S. Evans in 1862 during the Civil War. It was known as the “Southern House” with its main entry on the second floor reached by twin curving staircases leading out to the street. In the 1870s, the house was remodeled with more Gothic overtones. The front porch and the fleur-de-lis, rescued from a torn-down Council Bluffs landmark, were added in a 1986 restoration.
Evans married Endamile Bayliss, daughter of Martha and Samuel Bayliss, in 1865 and the couple moved to Kansas City. The city directory shows Winfield Scott Mayne in residence at the address by 1887. Mayne was part of the law firm of Mayne & Hazelton. Sometime in the 1920s, William S. Rigdon, an implement merchant and Mayne's son-in-law, occupied the house, which also was known as the Rigdon/Bayliss House. Kelly Prine and her family live there today.
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