Curtis Mansion - Women's Club

CURTIS, CARPENTER, OLNEY, RICE, GARDENIER, SPENCE , CARSTENSEN, HOUSEMAN, VINING, WILSON, JUSTIS, REES, WENTWORTH, MOULTON, CAMERON, GREEN, NICHALS, LONG, MCCLURE, FAUR, MCMANUS, HAYTON, PAYSON, OLSON, SCOTT

Posted By: Michael Kearney (email)
Date: 1/2/2003 at 09:34:15

June/July 1983 Riverboat Days Special p. 3 & 38 "Old houses and old folks are gettin' scarce," an old-timer said as he talked of the grand mansions that sprung from the rich soil of Mississippi River towns a century ago. And using a gnarled hand to brush a tear from his eye, he said, "It sure is sad." Steamboats puffed up and down the Mississippi in the mid to late 1800s, and lumber mills sprouted along its winding banks. The riverboat captains and lumber barons prospered as business thrived, and much of their wealth was evident in their magnificent homes. Many "old houses" have disappeared, victims of fire, decay and neglect. Of those remaining, few can compare with the elegance of a bygone era reflected in the George M. Curtis mansion, now the Clinton Women's Club, 420 5th Ave. S. The Women's Club will open the massive hand-carved oak doors of the mansion for tours of the historic landmark from 1 to 4 p.m. July 2. CLINTON’s LUMBER business flourished in the 1880s, and the Clinton Daily Herald of 1883-84 made frequent mention of the business and social life of the lumber barons. Curtis, founder with his brother Charles L. of the George M. Curtis Co., frequently was among those mentioned. His elaborate advertisement for his "Sash and Blind Factory" appears on the front page of each issue of the Daily Herald, and a "minor mention" item in April, 1883 informed readers, "Curtis Bros. & Co. are out with a handsome new wagon." Spring editions of '83 and '84 noted, "Spring building was never so brisk," and a column appearing several times a week listed improvements and construction in the city. "Building Boom!" headlined a column dated Sept. 20, 1883, which reported "George M. Curtis has cleared a spacious lot whereupon before snow flies, there will be laid the foundation of a palatial residence." An item dated Oct. 9, 1883, noted, "Work begins on the foundation of the George M. Curtis mansion, Fifth avenue." A luxuriant prairie flower, as a Chicago newspaperman wrote of it, grew from that foundation. As months passed, chimneys pierced the sky, and the stained glass windows, some Tiffany, reflected brilliant prisms of color in the sunlight. Curtis selected the finest woods from his mills in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and craftsmen were brought from Europe to carve and polish the woods to perfection. These artisans remained in Clinton as employees of the Curtis Co. Curtis designed much of the house himself. It is believed he was assisted by Joshiah Rice, architect in later years of the Clinton County Court House, and architect of the mansion's coach house, added in 1885. The community watched in awe as the two-and-on-half story brick veneer structure progressed. The Daily Herald's "improvements" column estimated the cost of the Curtis mansion and those of J.E. Carpenter, J.S. Gardenier and A.R. Olney under construction at the same time, to be in excess of $100,000, a handsome price tag a century ago. A July 9, 1884, article states, "The Fifth Avenue mansions of Mrssrs. Gardenier, Curtis and Olney and the Sixth Avenue edifice of Mr. George Spence are making rapid advancement under the labors of a busy corps of artisans." Curtis' prairie flower flourished in a grandiose style of architecture popularly known as "gingerbread" but properly known as Queen Anne. And Curtis frosted his gingerbread palace lavishly. The mansion boasts nine fireplaces, each an object of art created by a master woodcarver. The tremendous main hall is 55 feet long and stained glass hand-crafted by European artisans, graces the windows, some of which are 15 feet high. Craftsmen carved and polished to perfection the woodwork, mantles, doors and wainscoting, and cabinet makers and artisans labored on the trim. The elegant oak staircase bears the workmanship of these master craftsmen who carved into the rich wood such details as a delicate flower and the fanned tail of a peacock. A chair near the Overshoe Closet was made for Curtis and used by him during his two terms in Congress. THE DAILY HERALD of 100 years ago gives elaborate descriptions of Clinton's social glitter, much of which was contributed by the lumber barons. Social affairs vied with those of New York City and Chicago. As many as 10 servants were employed in their homes and food for dinner parties was catered from Chicago. Many luncheon menus contained nine courses. The Curtis family contributed much to Clinton's social life. Florists would bring wagons of flowers and spend the entire day decorating the mansion. In the evening, horsedrawn carriages would drive to the 'porte-cochere (extension over the driveway), and ladies dressed in elaborate ball gowns of silks, satins and velvets, stepped directly on to the porch. They and their escorts were whisked to the third floor ballroom for an evening of dancing. The Curtises graciously entertained dinner guests in a dining room dominated by a hand-carved table that can be extended to seat 14. The massive claw-footed table and many of the other original furnishings and fixtures remain in the house. There are brass chandeliers with Tiffany glass, and the hanging entry light in the great hall originally was a gas jet. The black teakwood settee in the center hall was carved from the wood of an East India tree, and a marble top dresser, originally in a second floor bedroom, still is graced by a lady's hanky boxes. Heraldry and ancient armor including a battle-ax, javelin and ball of circular, embossed bronze, still may be seen in the center hall. There are Oriental touches in the mansion. Magnificent bell chimes on the west wall of the dining room are brass and possibly come from Japan. The original paper of stenciled canvas still hangs in the dining room, and the pressed tin ceiling is graced by heavy embossed paper. The carved wood fireplace is surrounded by hardwood drawers, china closet and mirrors. Tiles around the fire chamber were imported from France. THE FIREPLACES are elegant and as with the ornate wood carving in the house, each is unique. In the library, the fire chamber bears a copper trim, and the north wall fireplace is the parlor is graced by tiles imported from Holland. The most unusual is the larger fireplace in the parlor. It features a split chimney with a stained glass window in the center. It poses a puzzling question as to how the glass could survive in that position for 100 years and not succumb to the heat of the chimney. The white statue of a young woman was selected by the Curtises and remains in its chosen spot on the mantle. Although modern cooking methods have retired the fireplace in the kitchen, it once was used by servants to prepare the family meals. The sink bears its original copper counter top and splash board, and there is a built-in ice box with access for servicing from the outside. Two wooden doors, the second several inches thick, conceal a large walk-in cooler which still bears the meat hooks where hams and bacons once hung. The butler's pantry contains cupboards on two walls, and on the north wall a draw table pulls out for extra counter space when need. Curtis' efficiency in design is evidenced by a file closet for the massive leaves of the dining table. And the mansion boasts an elevator, quite a feat for the 1880's. THE LUMBER BARONS are gone, but the Curtis mansion remains - still an impressive sight as it yawns gracefully toward the sky along Fifth Avenue. Its lacy front porch has been replaced by the present one, built in 1920. An attached conservatory on the east, semi-circular in plan, was removed in the 1940s. And no one seems to know why a beautiful stained glass window on the east wall was covered by wall making it visible only from the outside. The Clinton Women's Club purchased the mansion in 1925, and it responsible for acquiring state recognition for the building for the National Register status. Expenses in maintaining the gingerbread palace are enormous. Repairs and a new roof last fall bore a price tag of about $7,000. But Women's Club members work diligently and loving to maintain the mansion's original state. It still bears the elegance and dignity which brought the grand ladies and gentlemen to its magnificent hall a century ago. And many of the antique dresses worn by the ladies who danced in its ballroom will return for display July 2, loaned by the Clinton County Historical Society, Katherine Long, museum director. Tours will begin every five minutes from 1 to 4 p.m. While guests tour the mansion, piano selections will be played by Ethelyn Trent and Claribel Kauzlarich and the Women's Club. "Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch" (or "The Perfumed Badge"), a melodrama, will be performed by Clinton Community Theater actors under the direction of Chuck Swanson in the mansion's carriage house, now the Carriage House Theater. Curtain time is 2 p.m. Admission to the events is by Riverboat Days Badge. Tours and tea chairman is Mrs. Doris Carstensen. Committees include: Guides - Vivian Houseman, chairman, Alice Vining, Thelma Wilson, Lillian Justis, Virginia Rees, Evelyn Wentworth, Lois Moulton, Grace Cameron, Lucile Green, Irene Nichols and Mrs. Long; porch hostess, Sallie McClure; lawn hostess, Lillian Vining; tea on the lawn - Eleanor Faur, chairman, Ila McManus, Alma Hayton, Ella Payson, Genny Olson and Joyce Scott; badge sales, Ruth Melchert.