1107 West Washington Street was built 1904 The large one-and-a-half-story stone and frame dwelling was designed by the architectural firm of Tourtellotte and Hummel in 1904 for Dr. James Davies. The building is included in the thematic group Tourtellotte and Hummel Architecture in Idaho.
The Dr. James Davies House on Washington Street is an unusual variation on the shingled colonial style. It also has elements of Queen Anne and Bungelow style. See if you can identify something from each! The roof falls from a lateral ridgebeam in a broad unflared gambrel, which covers the entire floor space except that beneath the large, centered, gabled dormer. The cross-facade porch is inset under this roof, with massive stone corner pillars and walls (except on the left, where spindle balusters appear) and turned Tuscan columns on either side of the steps. The right front corner of the house is extended in a beveled side bay, so the porch runs slightly to the right.
The big upper dormer has a pediment-like gable, fishscale shingled sides, and, most curiously, a small tripartite curved bay to the right of center. The upper sections of the sash windows of the bay are mullioned in a sunburst or spider-web pattern that includes all three windows. Left of the bay, on the left front of the dormer, is a pair of small square sashes side by side in a common frame. To the right of the dormer is another curious feature, a nipping back of the roof to uncover a small upstairs balcony. To the left of the dormer is a small rectangular attic light, under a small shed roof that extends straight out from the upper slope of the gambrel roof. The very large side gables produced by the gambrel roof are flared at the bases. They contain pairs of sash windows with milti-paned upper sections and flared hoods and have orange-slice fanlights in the upper angles.
The extensive surfaces of the gables are otherwise completely covered with shaped shingles: bands of fishscales separated from bands of half-octagonals by single rows of squares. The first floor of the house, which apparently was originally veneered with rock-faced stone to match the porch material, has been re-surfaced with modern stone veneer. Downstairs window are sash with nine-over-one lights.The Dr. James Davies House is architecturally significant as a unique variation of the shingled colonial style. It is unique in several ways, but particularly in that it is gambrel-roofed. This double-slope roof form is rare in the Group.
Dr. Davies moved from Emmettsburg, IA in 1904 and began his practice that year. He paid $1300 for the lot and approximately $4000 to contruct this unique home. Construction on the house begins July, 1904. By January 15, 1905, his house is featured in a pictorial in the Statesman of Houses built in 1904. In December 1906, Davies is mentioned in the Statesman as having been elected Asst Rabban of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shriner, El Korah Temple. He is also listed in 1907 as being a member of the Sons of 1776 Revolution organization. The article explicitly mentions that this is not a secret organization!
In 1910, Davies sells the house to Dr. Albert E. Weaver for $8500. The first rental ad appears in the Statesman in 1913 and it is rented from then on. Today, it is occupied by several businesses.
Information from the Idaho Statesman and the Fort Street Historic District nomination.