Property Type: Residential
Neighborhood: North End  |  County: Ada  |  Building Status: Private  |  Architectural Style: Eclectic
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The Henderson home was first built in 1910 by Calvin Henderson and his wife, Dovey Henderson. They had little money so the home was very modest and small, but with a garage, even though he had two lots to build it on. Then, when he and his wife got enough money after the depression they built a bigger home on the front part of the lots. This was in the 1930s. This then became the Henderson home with a little house in the back. Through this time many changes were made to the home. Its architecture is unique both inside and out.

Throughout the home there is no real theme of architecture, which comes from a normal man building it. In the dining room, one whole wall is dedicated to being a mirror reflecting everything in the room. There are both arched doorways and rectangular open doorways leading to the different rooms and hallways of the home. The bathroom has a very tall and thin wood door which matches the area of the bathroom. The bathroom is also unique because the bathtub and shower are encased in somewhat of a dome. When you walk into the dining room the first thing that catches the eye is the hanging chandelier over the kitchen table which gives the room an elegant touch and light close to the table. Then your eyes flicker to the walls which have a wooden step outline over all the walls that now holds plates but probably held many different things throughout the years. There is no divider between the dining room and kitchen, just a change from carpet to tile and the normal kitchen furnishings. In the kitchen there is a window over the sink so the mother could always watch her children, something we learned in class.

The home was not always like this. The part that in the kitchen was added on sometime after it was built. What is now the dining room had once been the kitchen.
There is also a basement to the house. It is a very eerie place because no one ever needs to go down there anymore, everything needed can be found upstairs. It had once been just one big room that Jack Henderson, Calvin’s son, used as a workroom for things such as wood work. But now it contains two rooms, a wash room, and a storage area. One thing that is really interesting about the storage area is there is a long closet space, big enough to be a very small room. Gloria Henderson, who lives there now, and Jack’s widow said it had been the “coal room.” Whenever the house got cold they would light a fire there, and a man would come whenever the coal supply needed replenished. Everything seems even older in the basement with glass doorknobs and antique oval mirrors around every corner.

The outside of the Henderson home has many details that make it very unique. A distinguishing feature is the door. It is solid oak and has a very intricate handle on it, something you never see now days. Also, the rails on the stairs leading to the door are made to match the handle. There is also a small rectangle at the top of the door which you can open to see who is at your door, not just a peep hole. We believe this shows a change in the times, how people were once not afraid to open a small window and see who was visiting them, they didn’t think it would always be a murderer. The door is covered by an overhang. There is an interesting old fashioned lamp that lights up the address at night. Also on the outside of the house the siding changes directions. The wood goes both horizontally and vertically. It is also unique in that it has very steep roofs at some point and different in other areas. But, the front is almost completely different from the back. The back is just a rectangle with nothing very appealing to the eye except for windows.

In the backyard there are two gardens, a garage, and the little house. The garage is very small, no modern day car would be able to fit into it. The hinges on all of the wooden cupboards are very old, and have old fashioned locking mechanisms. Other than that, there is nothing really interesting about the garage, it is now the workroom, what the basement of the home had once been.

The little house is not very big at all. All there is in it is the necessities. A family room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and a basement which is a washroom. It also has an overhang over the front door much like the bigger home in front of it. Sam Henderson and his wife Melody now live in the house with their baby girl.
The Henderson home has been through a lot. When Gloria and Jack lived there they had six children running around the home, putting it to the test. There have also been dogs and many other factors. But, through all the years the home has stood strong and will be there for many years to come, maybe even stay in the family. The home shows a bit of history and has a lot of personality.

Historical photos courtesy of the owner