One Neighborhood, Many Stories

One Neighborhood, Many Stories. . , What does a house say about its occupants? , The West 2nd Street Residential Historic District, just to the west between Eddy and Forest streets, vividly shows the diversity of house styles built between 1857 and 1890. A short walk to the city's center of commerce and industry, the area offered wasy access for wealthy merchants, industrialists and their employees. The neighborhood grew within the sight and smells of a large riverfront sawmill, lumberyard and grain elevator., Two of the most prominent buildings are John F. Norrish's octagon-shaped house (1857) and the neighboring Italian Villa at 319 West 2nd Street (1861), built by John L. Thorne. Norrish and Thorne, English immigrants, were also business partners in a dry goods store at 209 East 2nd Street. To the south is an area named "Swede Hill." Residents from this neighborhood worked in the mills and warehouses, on the railroad, or as butchers, store clerks and domestic servants., Each house, modest or magnificent, tells the story of the families who lived there. As a whole, the neighborhoods are a reminder of all the people who shaped Hastings during the last half of the 19th century., Captions: , This 1867 view of Hastings shows a mix of large houses and small cottages near Hastings' industrial and commercial center. Can you spot the unique octagon house? , Swede Hill, a working-class neighborhood a few blocks southwest of here, provided a home not just for newly arrived Swedes, but for Norwegians, Germans and Irish, too. The kids in this 1920s photograph were known as "the Swede Hill gang." , Members of Hastings' leading families – the Thornes, Norrishes and Pringles – pose on the front porch of 319 West 2nd Street in 1898. The boy's American flag in his hat suggests they might be celebrating Independence Day., Elements of Style , The architectural style of a house often illustrates the social and economic status of its owner. Some houses are designed by architects or based on popular pattern books. Late 19th-century styles included Greek Revival, Italianate, and Second Empire. As their names suggest, such fashionable designs were frequently influenced by European sources., Most houses were far less elaborate, and were designed and built by local carpenters. Their simple plans and materials illustrate the tastes, means and interests of their occupants and suggest how most of Hastings' people lived., Caption: Just west of here at the corner of West 2nd Street and Spring Street you can see a rare example of a briefly popular house type, the Octagon. Increased light and ventilation, and the elimination of "dark and useless corners" were among the virtues its promoter, Orson S. Fowler, extolled in his 1849 book, "The Octagon House, A Home for All".