Davis/Ercanbrack Farmstead.

The Davis/Ercanbrack Farmstead house, original portion built ca. mid-1870s, is a stucco and possibly log construction, classical-style, hall-parlor house with several historic additions. The original house still portrays some of the basic elements of the Classical movement, i.e. rectangular facade with symmetrically placed fenestration, although one window has been covered, modestly pitched gable roof with cornice, and little other adornment. This farmstead is an example of the very basic, vernacular dwellings that were constructed during the establishment of the Provo Bench. Although the house has been altered and added to many times over the years, its significance lies in the construction date of the house as probably the oldest surviving house in Orem. It and the other buildings on the site are significant as one of only a few remaining fruit orchards in a city which almost thoroughly depended on the fruit industry. This farmstead retains its association and feeling with the fruit industry of Orem and contributes to the historic qualities of the city.

2044 South Main Street in Orem, Utah

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Stratton House/Orem City Hall
(870 W. Center Street)

Stratton House/Orem City Hall

The James and Nina Stratton house/former Orem City Hall built ca. 1924 with large additions added in 1997 and again in 2007. In 1938, the Orem Town Board purchased the 37½-acre farm and home of the Strattons for use as the first Orem Town Hall for $14,000. Thus, the new Town Hall was established as the center of town, and the numbering of the streets and houses was planned to start at that point. The building housed City offices, the Post Office, and City library until 1969 when the city, having outgrown its quarters, built a new City Center building on the same site. The building was sold for $100.00 and moved approximately two miles west to its present site on August 10, 1970, where it was eventually converted into an office building.

Built by James Stratton, a prominent fruit grower, the house was one of the largest in the city at the time. It has many of the characteristics of the Prairie-School style popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright during the first two decades of this century. The Stratton house clearly symbolizes the prosperity that the fruit industry brought to Orem City during the first half of the twentieth century. This is the only civic structure remaining from the historic period and is reflective the way in which Orem developed as a city. When the 2007 addition was completed the original historic brick was covered.

George and Temperance Adams House
(196 West 400 South)

George and Temperance Adams House

The George J. and Temperance May Evans Adams house built in 1895 and substantially enlarged in 1903, is a one-story Victorian Eclectic-style house. It was originally a classical hall-parlor house constructed of soft-fired brick with an adobe lining. The house was originally associated with five acres of farmland. A granary-creamery is on the property and was probably constructed the same time as the original house. The house is associated with the rise of agricultural production in the Orem area. The field, part of the original farmstead, and granary/creamery associated with the property contribute to the significance of the house. The Adams and Evans families were among Orem’s first permanent residents and participated in the agricultural development of the community.

Alexander and Nellie P. Cordner House
(415 South 400 East)

Alexander and Nellie P. Cordner House

The Alexander and Nellie Cordner house is a one and one-half story, brick central-block with projecting-bays type house on a concrete-covered stone foundation.
Built ca.1909, the house is a good example of Victorian Eclecticism in the region. The Cordner house was one of the largest houses in this area at the time it was built. The house has many of the characteristics found in Victorian Eclectic architecture; including an asymmetrical facade, open floor plan, and the use of various architectural styles and details. The elaborate Victorian Eclectic detailing belies the prosperity of Cordner who, as a farmer, cattle rancher, real estate dealer, and landowner, was one of the prominent citizens of the community, and is reflective of the City’s agricultural development and city growth.

Cordner-Calder House
(305 South 900 East)

Cordner-Calder House

The Cordner/Calder house, probably built by William Cordner ca.1896 and added onto ca.1910, began as a one or one-and-one-half story, Victorian Eclectic-style, brick and adobe house on a stone foundation which subsequently acquired a full second story. The house was constructed by William J. & Edna Cordner and then owned by David G. and Sarah E. Calder for many years. Both of these families became prominent fruit growers on the Provo Bench and their participation and influence in the growth of Orem is reflected in this house.

(the above text is from the National Historic Register and Orem’s historic homes booklet but Ed Cordner was kind enough to correct the information and let me know that it was actually built by Thomas Cordner.)

Related Posts:

• Historic Homes in Orem

Located at 305 South 900 East in Orem, Utah

Knight/Finch House
212 South State Street

Knight/Finch House

The Knight/Finch house, built ca.1909, is a one-and-one-half story, tan brick Victorian Eclectic-style house on a concrete foundation. Although once a part of
an agricultural landscape, the building site is located on Orem City’s chief commercial strip and is now surrounded by commercial buildings.
The house was the residence of two farming families who were also prominent in the community: Newell J. Knight and Joseph H. Finch. The Knight/Finch house personifies many of the characteristics found in Victorian Eclectic architecture, including an asymmetrical facade and the use of various architectural styles and details. The Knight-Finch house, through its architectural detailing and size, symbolizes the prosperity of fruit growers and associated businesses during the agricultural expansion era of the Provo Bench.

The Chocolate

The Knight/Finch House is now a small cafe/restaurant called “The Chocolate.”

Lars and Christina Olsen House
(417 South 800 East)

Lars and Christina Olsen House

The Olsen house, built in 1887, is an adobe and stucco, double cross-wing house on a stone foundation. According to Greta Olsen Bandley, great-granddaughter of Lars, the north portion of the house was constructed first with the second crosswing and connecting portion being added ca.1894. Although the house started out as a small, hall-parlor building, with the increase in prosperity as a fruit grower, Olsen expanded the house to a double cross-wing a few years later. The various additions to the building reflect the periods of development as different family members took up residence in the house. The modest, yet expanded version of the house is symbolic of the early development and expansion of the fruit industry on the Provo Bench.

Related Posts:

• Historic homes in Orem
• Provo Bench (later renamed Orem)

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Carter/Terry/Call House
(815 East 800 South)

The Carter/Terry/Call house, built ca.1899, is a two story, pink brick Victorian Eclectic-style house with Classical details. This cross wing-type house is unusual with the hipped roofs, particularly for a period when the central-block-with-projecting-bays type house was the most common for larger buildings on the Provo Bench. Although probably built by Richard Carter, the most significant owner of the house was Otis L. Terry, the second Bishop of the Timpanogos Ward which then embodied almost the entire Provo Bench. The size and style of the house exemplify the importance of the bishop, who was not only a religious leader, but a civic leader in a growing settlement and is representative of the kinds of homes built by prominent members of the community during a period of agricultural growth.

Related Posts:

• Historic Homes in Orem
• Orem, Utah

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