The Edward R. Stearns House is a historic residence in the city of Wyoming, Ohio, United States. Built at the turn of the twentieth century, it was the home of a business baron, and it has been designated a historic site.

Stearns family

Edward Stearns was a member of a family of prominent industrialists; his relative George Stearns was a founding partner of Stearns and Foster, a company that owned a textile mill in the nearby village of

Lockland Lockland is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,449 at the 2010 United States Census. Lockland is located in southwest Ohio, north of Cincinnati. Its population has declined since the latter part of the 20th cent ...

and operated a mattress-manufacturing plant, and Edward was later the company's head. Edward lived in the house from its construction until his death in 1914, after which a later company chief, Evan Foster Stearns, moved in with his family; his son Evan Jr., who also led the firm, was born in the house and lived there until 1984.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 675.

Historic context

Good transportation is a leading reason for Wyoming's prosperity. The city lies near the old pre-statehood road that connected Cincinnati with locations farther north, such as Fort Hamilton and

Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

. Curves in the road were cut off in 1806, forming a new road that is today followed by Springfield Pike through central Wyoming. Improvements in the 1830s only enhanced its importance.McCauley, Jennifer. '. National Park Service, 1985-08-16. Accessed 2011-02-26. By this time, another mode of transportation had become significant: the

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $ ...

was built a short distance to the east in 1828, and the village of Lockland grew up along its side. Railroads reached the city in 1851 with the construction of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad on the border between Lockland and Wyoming. Because of Wyoming's proximity to the industry of Lockland, its easy transportation to the booming city of Cincinnati, and its pleasant scenery, many wealthy industrialists purchased local farms and built grand country houses. Most such houses were built in the Wyoming Hills area, west of Springfield Pike; growth in this area continued until the coming of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Architecture

Built in 1902 according to a design by Alfred Oscar Elzner's firm, the Stearns House is a stone building with a stone foundation and a terracotta roof., Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2012-11-22. Among its leading architectural features appears at the middle of the facade: a pavilion with a porte-cochère. Other structural details, such as the hip roof sitting atop the two- story walls, give it an appearance of a variant of the

American Foursquare The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass-produced elements of the Victorian architecture, Victorian and other Revival styles popul ...

. It is distinguished from comparable houses in the city by its massive size, which helps to create an unusually strong sense of early twentieth century architecture in its appearance.

Historic site

In 1979, a local historic preservation group began a citywide survey to identify Wyoming's historic buildings, and this effort culminated with a multiple property submission of eighteen houses, the

Wyoming Presbyterian Church Wyoming Presbyterian Church is a registered historic building in Wyoming, Ohio, Wyoming, Ohio, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, National Register on March 3, 1980. The church building was completed May 18, 1890,http://pcwyo ...

, and one

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Among these houses was the home of William Stearns, Edward's relative and another early Stearns and Foster executive. Along with all but one of the other properties, both Stearns houses were listed on the Register in the following year, qualifying because of their important architecture and because of their prominent original residents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Edward R., House Houses completed in 1902 American Foursquare architecture Houses in Wyoming, Ohio Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Hamilton County, Ohio