THE BLACK HOUSE

404 Canal Street, NE

Circa 1913

This house was built for John H. and Bess Black. John served as a pharmacist for the Owl Drug Company, which was located on the corner of Church and Bank Streets. The Blacks remained here until the early 1920s. The house changed hands many times after the Blacks.  By 1922 Morris S. and Bertha Barnett resided here. Mr. Barnet ran a dry good store on Church Street. In 1938, D. Arvin and Elsie Draper lived here. Mr. Draper was a bookkeeper at Turner Coal & Grain.

This house is an excellent example of the Craftsman style, and shares some similarities with the Craftsman at 804 Jackson Street SE. The diamond paned front porch windows are an outstanding architectural detail, and the striking front door arch, called an ogee arch, is a rare architectural detail for this style of home. The ogee arch design continues in the main hallway. The built-in china cupboard and double French doors in the dining room are original features, as well.

The home was purchased by the Tindoll family in 2020. They have always wanted a historic home and love the unique features of the house, including the high coved ceilings, rched doorways and diamond paned windows. A favorite new feature is the library that the family added, by filling the back entry with built-in bookcases.