McPherson Town is a fascinating neighborhood near Downtown Dayton. It was first platted way back in 1845 but was not a popular area to settle then due to its flood-prone nature. But by the end of the 19th century, the levees had been improved and the city also built a new iron bridge over the Great Miami, and many of the beautiful homes we see today were built between 1880 and 1900.
One notable home can be found at 220 W McPherson Street. It is known as the Ulrich-Boone House and was built in 1897.
Architecturally, it is Queen Anne in style, but in contrast to other examples that are very large homes, this one is much smaller in size. For that it is known as a Queen Anne cottage, an adaptation from the time period that maintains the intricate detailing characteristic of the style, but reduced to a single story (or one and a half stories). It has also been referred to as a Free Classic Queen Anne.
The home is of frame shiplap construction with a rock face stone foundation. The details are simple but effective to go along with the cottage look, and the highlight of the facade is the two-bay Doric Neoclassical porch. There is also a hip dormer above the center door, a pedimental gable on the right bay with a shed dormer farther back on the right side, and dentilled cornice trim. And giving the cottage some bonus space is a large early addition in the back.
According to Preservation Dayton, this is a home where “the history of a property overshadows its architectural significance.”
It was built by William Ulrich for his family in 1897. His daughter Katherine was born there, and she proceeded to live there with her husband Walter Boone until 1999. The “unbroken family history in the Ulrich-Boone House, spanning more than 100 years, is truly significant.”
Over the years Katherine reminisced about the history of the neighborhood, including “her mother’s prize-winning yard, landscaped by Siebenthaler’s Nursery, and carriage rides with her uncle Fred Withoft, Dayton’s postmaster.” She also recalled the Great Flood of 1913, where she and her mother became stranded upstairs due to the quick rise of the floodwaters. Eventually a boat rescued them.
For more on the historic homes in the neighborhood, take a look at Preservation Dayton’s McPherson Town tour:
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