Amid the backdrop of the Jazz Age, before the stock market crash of October 1929, subdivision developer John Mitchell built this handsome Colonial Revival home at 918 Lombard Ave. The first owner was John L. Martin, who was associated with the Ideal Dairy Company, founded in 1919 to offer pasteurized milk to the city. Later owners of the home were Jim and Emily Fowler, who moved there in late 1965. Emily, who became fondly known as the “Mayor of Lombard” for her watchful eye and neighborhood spirit, lived here until her death in 2009.
Next door at 928 is a beautifully restored Colonial Revival, built in 1936 by the Stovall Lumber Co. for Robert Burkert, a salesman with Burkert Walton Inc., a printing company founded in 1906 that is still operating in Evansville today.
The charming brick and limestone English Cotswold cottage at 952, designed by renowned Evansville architects Anderson & Veatch, was built in 1937 for Harry B. Bourland, president of the Evansville Paint & Varnish Co. — known today as Red Spot. The home’s unique façade is dominated by a large fireplace in its living room.
Former preservation officer Joan Marchand’s notes indicate that one of the city’s finest examples of the bungalow style of architecture is at 968, near Washington Avenue. It was built in 1927 for Simon A. Schmitt, who owned a plumbing and heating business and also installed suburban water systems. In 1938, the home was purchased by William C. Welborn, an attorney and founder of the Conrad Baker Foundation. The foundation supported the Old Court House in its transition after the construction of the Civic Center.
The home’s brick features an unusual diamond pattern. The house is adorned with half-timbering, as well as curved-topped windows and eave brackets. Indeed, it is one of my favorites, too.
