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George Davies | Frederick Mayer House

2834 West Kilbourn Ave

George Davies, a commercial traveler, commissioned this Crane and Barkausen designed Queen Anne. But before it was completed in 1894 by builders Ernst Hahn and E. Winter, Davies sold it to Frederick Mayer, a wealthy businessman, and owner of the Mayer Shoe Company. Mayer lived in the house with his family until the mid-1920s. As the Great Depression began, the house was subdivided into a rooming house.

Fortunately, despite many owners throughout the 50-year rooming house period, the house never experienced the vandalism that afflicted many other properties. The fireplace mantels, stained and leaded glass windows, the dining room buffet, fretwork in the parlors and front hallway, pocket doors, and other architectural details are all original to the house. Perhaps it was luck, but most likely it was the fact that the house had the fortune of always being owner-occupied.

The house was converted back to a single-family dwelling in the late 1970s at which time most of the main floor was fully restored to its original splendor. Extensive work has been completed on the structure since 2002. In addition, the backyard has been landscaped and paths, gardens, fences, and gates were built to create a family-friendly outdoor atmosphere.

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George Davies | Frederick Mayer House

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