Charles S. & Lizzie Hyatt House, Springfield

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,12-SPRIF,20-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This house is significant as an early example of vernacular duplex working class residential housing stock in the city. It retains its basic form although the house is somewhat deteriorated and has recently had its full-width front porch removed. The house contributes to the architectural character of the proposed Champion historic district as part of a row of nearly identical working class housing. The house is also notable for its pressed metal exterior, apparently original. Description: The Hyatt House is a two-story rectangular frame building resting on a low stone foundation and featuring symmetrically arranged rectangular window and door openings. It is capped by a low-pitched hipped roof with a simple cornice.

The exterior is sheathed in pressed metal panels stamped to simulate brick. Diagonal wood sheathing underneath peeled sections of the metal siding indicate that the metal was the original siding of this house. Its cornice is also pressed metal. Doors at either end on the front elevation suggest that the house has always been a two-family residence, probably a duplex. The house is closely spaced beside similar neighboring buildings and has two windows on each side on the first floors and no windows on the second floor along the sides. There may at one time have been rear porches. The house has a center chimney and a projecting rear wall chimney. This rear chimney may have been added.

History: This building was probably constructed at the tum of the century, judging from its styling, duplex house type and materials. In this was the home of the Hyatt family, Charles S. Hyatt worked as a laborer, probably at one of the nearby factories. The house has had a series of occupants over the years, most of them having factory occupations. The longest occupant was Verda Bowdle, from about to about She was the widow of Albert Bowdle. Another widow, Alma Bellar, lived here in Her husband, Harry, a laborer, was listed as living here in

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,12-SPRIF,20-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

and later Springfield city directories. The building stands within the proposed Champion Historic District, which has been determined as an area potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the Ohio State Historic Preservation Officer. Copies of information used to make this determination of eligibility for National Register status are at the Springfield Department of Planning and Development and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office.