Owen Block
121-127 Chestnut Street
Evansville, Indiana
The Owen
Block in Evansville has been in the news a lot recently. Should it be
demolished because of its poor condition or should it be restored because of
its unique architecture? I am pleased that
it looks like the proponents for restoration are currently in the lead. Built
in the second empire style most popular
after the Civil War and with its blue color, the Owen Block stands out in the downtown historic district.
Dr. A.M. Owen built the Owen Block in 1882
and the building consisted of four three-floors-plus-basement townhouses at
121-127 Chestnut Street. The building was also known as the Owen Flats. Dr.
Owen and his family lived in one townhouse and the other three were rented out.
This type of housing was new to Evansville. In
a newspaper article[1]
in 1909, the following was written: "Flats are increasingly popular in
Evansville. Thirty years ago the only buildings in the city which were known as
flats were the Owen houses on Chestnut street between Second and Third streets.
Now flat buildings are springing up in all parts of the city."
I will leave it to others to decide
if Dr. Owen was a visionary of what Evansville needed. At any rate, he provided
something new in housing for the citizens of Evansville, but who was Dr. Owen
and what part. if any, did he play in the history of Evansville?
Abraham Miconius Owen was born 19
March 1849 in Madisonville, Kentucky, the son of Dr. A.B. Owen. After a common
school education, he studied medicine and received his diploma from Bellevue
Medical College in 1870. After serving on the staff there for a short while following graduation, he moved to Evansville, where he was associated with the local
medical college.
Dr. Owen married Laura Jerauld 20
October 1875 at the home of her parents in Princeton, Indiana. Three
children, Amelia, George J. and Leartus, were born to the couple.
In 1880 A.M. Owen was a physician and surgeon
and professor of surgery at the Medical College of Evansville. His medical
office was located at 504 Upper 1st Street and his residence was at 615 Upper
1st Street,[2]
not far from where the Owen Block would be constructed in 1882.
Dr. Owen was involved in the municipal
as well as medical affairs of Evansville. He served as president of the local
medical society and, with two other physicians, published a medical magazine.
One of his biggest ventures was with Dr.
Edwin Walker in the establishment of the Evansville Sanitarium in 1894 at 712
Upper 4th Street. The sanitarium, later renamed Walker Hospital, was the
forerunner of Welborn Baptist Hospital. Evansville Sanitarium contained three
floors, each one supplied with hot and cold baths and provided the latest facilities for patients. The sanitarium had accommodations for 20
patients - 12 in private rooms and the remaining in two wards.
Ironically, Dr. Owen died 18
September 1898 in the Evansville Sanitarium after being in poor health for about a year. Funeral services were held at his home in the Owen Block with burial at
Oak Hill Cemetery.
The tenants of the Owen Block were
among the more prominent residents of Evansville. Many worked nearby and a
number worshiped at St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 301 SE 1st Street or Grace Presbyterian Church at 601 SE 2nd
Street. Social events at the Owen Block were often described in the local
newspapers. One such event, hosted by Mrs. Owen, was a "high
tea" with an orange theme - from the ribbons tied around sandwiches to the
dress of the hostess. Color-theme parties were described as "in vogue in Washington,
Brooklyn and New York."[3]
Other tenants of the Owen Block will
be discussed in the next post.
Published 24 March 2015, Rambling Thoughts ...Out of My Mind, http://brendasopinions.blogspot.com/
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