Wow, did I spark a firestorm of controversy when I posted this photo of the Painted Lady style American 4 Square home on University on the Peoria Historical Society FB page. Most of the comments were praising the house for it's fantastic "Easter Egg" colors. But some people said it was "gaudy" and the neighborhood association should do something to stop it.
See details from my conversation with owner Gary Morris -- below.
I love this house and it always catches my eye. I took this photo yesterday as I walked home from a Peoria Historical Society trustees meeting.
I spoke to the current owner, an attorney named Gary Morris, on the phone tonight.
He provided the following details:
* It was built in 1913 as an American 4 Square and he added Victorian ornaments.
* Gary bought it in 1980 and started painting it in the authentic San Fransisco "Painted Lady" style in 1990. He had seen such houses in San Fransisco and studied books on the Painted Lady style. The house was run down and an eyesore when Gary purchased it.
* No complaints from neighbors about his paint job, who love to use this house as a landmark when telling people how to get to their homes.
* No complaints from the city about what he has done to the exterior painting.
* The only vandalism that has occurred was once some Bradley students moved his concrete lions about 2 blocks down the road, but had to quit due to how heavy they are.
* Nothing that unusual on the interior, aside from a room with red walls. A mural was painted on the dining room wall, but was ruined when the previous owners installed paneling.
* The family that owned it previous to Gary had installed avocado shag carpet and paneling that he removed. They loved the shag carpet so much, they went wild with it and even nailed some around the windows. There were many odd attempts to make it look modern for the 1960s era on the inside.
* A guy who owned multiple businesses in Peoria, which all failed, once operated Peoria's first Muzak business from the basement. There were 7 phone lines coming in and all kinds of tape recorders.
* The guy who previously lived there also bought a famous Peoria candy business, a white chocolate with cherry filling, and it went bankrupt in 2 to 3 years.
* It is in the East Uplands neighborhood, which was, according to Gary Morris, the first Peoria subdivision to have paved driveways and sidewalks for the homes.
* In the East Uplands, many of the homes were built in pairs. Gary was not sure of the name of the builder.
* Gary also owns a building in Pekin, across from the court house, which is an alcohol treatment center, next to a junk store, then Hamm's Furniture. His building has an intricate tin ceiling and is a true Victorian building, built in 1870. Gary says in all the buildings in downtown Pekin, nobody uses the 2nd floors, which are not connected to the first floors, you have to go outside and use an exterior stairway to get to the 2nd floor. They have screen doors because before air conditioning, the 2nd floor would get very hot.
* Gary Morris is the President of the West Bluff Grand Tour, the oldest tour of Peoria's older homes. It occurs the third week of May.
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