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St.Clair / Didier / Lawrence House. This
Greek Revival home was constructed in two stages. The lower,
roof-lined back section of the home was built between 1820
and 1840. The second, larger front section was completed in
the 1850s. Dr. William St. Clair, a Harvard graduate,
emigrated from Maine in 1837, and was the first known owner
of the property. His first wife, Laura, died soon
after arrival in Maumee, but he and his second wife, Eliza,
probably lived here until 1858, when he sold the home and
moved west. The founder of the Whig political party,
which put William Henry Harrison in the Whitehouse, Dr. St.
Clair led an active life as a community leader as well as a
physician. The St. Clairs were active members of St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The
property was in financial litigation and occupied by renters
during the Civil War years. Patrick and
Celia Dowling owned the home from 1885 to 1925 and their
son, Michael, operated a lunchroom or tavern here for
several years. Page
and Esther Lindsay operated a tearoom in the home (on a
rental basis) during the Depression in the 1930s. The Didier
family bought the house in 1959 and has been credited with
substantial refurbishment.
The
St. Clair house is a red brick Greek Revival home. The
classic off-centered doorway flanked by a columned portico,
the broad frieze boards that run completely around the house
immediately below the hip roof and the two-story pillared
portico all proclaim its Greek character. Entering the front
foyer, visitors will be greeted by a gracious hall with a
curving staircase and grand mirror.
To
the right of the foyer, there is a formal parlor illuminated
by high windows encased in massive architraves with dog-ears
and topped with unusually high cornices. Among the most
unique qualities of the home are its high ceilings and heavy
woodwork. The kitchen is contained in the rear wing and
contains one of the home’s four fireplaces.
Daniel and Lori Lawrence purchased
the St. Clair house in 1998. With their three daughters,
they are the proud current residents of this historic home
and continue to restore and preserve its historic character.
This house was featured on the Maumee
Bicentennial Quilt in 1976. The brochure states: "The exact date that this Greek Revival brick
house was constructed in unknown. Due to the
noticeably lower roofline in the back, it is believed that
the house was built in two phases, the first between 1820
and 1840 and the second, in the 1850's. This home was
once owned by William St. Clair, a local physician."
(Block made by Mary Didier, Row 5, block 3.)
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