click to enlarge
click to enlarge

House at 1229 Harding
1949 photo by Philip Parsons

In this photo, taken in 1949 by paper carrier Philip Parsons, the subject of the picture was Phil’s new Columbia bicycle.  He had just obtained it with points earned from weeks of soliciting new subscriptions (later acquisitions included a Kodak camera and a pair of stilts).  Fortunately for posterity this image also captures an early view of the east façade of this interesting house.  The Parsons had moved there just four years earlier.  Originally built in 1937, this distinctive home has served as a landmark for travelers on 13th Street for seventy years.

Robert Frank Carter (1898-1938)
ARCHITECT

The architect of the home was Frank Carter, a 1920 graduate of the newly inaugurated department of architectural engineering at Iowa State College (ISC).  He came from a family of architects and engineers.  Two brothers, Deane and Howard, were also graduates of ISC’s new department.  Deane, the older brother, became known for designing rural housing while at the University of Illinois.  Howard founded a company in Monterey, California specializing in the use of steel in architecture.  This younger brother also helped construct the house at 1229 Harding.  Frank took a job as an engineer with US Gypsum in Buffalo, New York.  There he became convinced of the advantages of newer building materials such as sheet rock.  Frank’s career was unfortunately cut short by the wasting effects of tuberculosis contracted after a bout with the flu in 1918. - Frank Carter obituary - 

1971 view of 1229 Harding

DESIGN FEATURES

The influence of the international Bauhaus style is obvious in the design and choice of materials for this home.  Characteristics include: flat roof (replaced by a hipped roof in 1952), squarish footprint on a concrete slab, stucco exterior, steel crank-out casement windows, Gyplap sheathing, gypsum sheet-rocked walls, attached garage with overhead door, built-in storage units, sunken rooms, interior wrought-iron railings, and hand-made light fixtures.

At the corners of the house are characteristic 1930s double windows that meet at a right angle to give a greater feeling of light and for cross-ventilation. The architect's daughter says that her mother, a pianist and music teacher, planned this corner of the living room for a baby grand piano.  The present owner says the light is very adequate for reading his sax music, and the space is a pleasant one to be in.   - more photos -

There are crank mechanisms which operate the windows by extending and retracting a folding link chain.

It was said at the time that this was the first use of sheet rock for interior walls in Ames.  Local plasterers were reported to have been concerned about the future of their jobs with the introduction of this new material.

Of interest is the milk box mounted at a convenient height to the left of the kitchen door (the front door was located on the north side).  The door to the box may be clearly seen in the 1949 photo of the east façade of the house.  The photo also shows a wooden gate that provided access to a garbage can and the fuel oil fill-pipe.  The 1,560 square-foot home originally had four bedrooms upstairs.  One corner of the main floor living room was designed for a grand piano – perhaps this explains the off-center fireplace.

As seen towards the bottom of this 1951 aerial photo, the flat roof and modern design made the house a landmark.  The Seventh Day Adventist Church is the structure at the corner of Grand (still a two lane road) and Thirteen Street.  No paving is evident on either Harding or Thirteenth Street.

Contemporary view of 1229 Harding

OWNERSHIP

Robert Lindemeyer, present owner, shows the original front door.

Seven families have enjoyed this home over the course of seven decades: Frank and Gertrude Carter (1937-1942), Dr. E.S. Honsinger (1942-1945), Alvin and Marvyl Parsons (1945-1961), Elmer Rosauer (1961-1965), Larry J. Barr (1965-1969), David Neiman (1970-1971), and Robert and Nancy Lindemeyer (1971-date).


(1957 photo by Charles Benn, photo courtesy of Philip and Shirley Parsons)

Phil Parsons and his wife were married in their parent's home at 1229 Harding.  This photo shows the wood paneling and the original fireplace with the Heatalator insert, which featured a grate made out of hollow U-shaped tubes that pushed heat into a room through vents.
Philip Parsons, son of the third owners, distinctly remembers this house – and not just because he came down with the mumps the day after moving there.  The flat roof caused no end of problems: every time a weather report forecast rain, the family would run upstairs and set buckets under known leaks in the second floor ceiling.  Phil also recalls how tightly the 1940 Hudson car fit into the attached garage, and how unpleasant it was to ride a bike on the gravel of 13th Street.  According to Phil, one sheet-rock wall was originally covered with a faux knotty pine-patterned material – not pleasing to later owners.

Thanks go to Phil Parsons for providing the 1949 photo and recollections as well as to the current owners for pertinent information.

photos previously featured
in The Tribune's series entitled From the Archives