Raymond and Jean Bertschy Home

Raymond and Jean Bertschy Home at 321 W. Prospect Avenue

This 1902 home is an excellent example of Shingle Style architecture.  It was built by Jean and Raymond Bertschy, a bookkeeper and paper salesman who was the son of pioneer grocery and dry goods dealer Perry Bertschy.

The Bertschys built the home after buying 46 feet of street front from Thomas Pearson, who purchased the Goff home in 1902.  (Pearson's first home is described on another stop on this tour.)

The dominant, flared, side-gable and steeply pitched roof, the diamond-pane windows, the second floor balcony enclosed with a low shingled wall, and the polygonal bays are common Shingle Style elements.  So too are the different size dormers and, of course, the remaining shingling on the dormer on the left.  Shingle Style also borrowed from Queen Anne Style and the lendings are clear here:  Wide porch, interestingly clad surfaces, and the over all asymmetrical form.  Shingle Style  borrowed Colonial Revival forms as well.  Here, this is evidenced by the Doric columns supporting the porch.

This home, which maintains great architectural integrity, is also a part of the West Prospect Avenue Historic District.  The district is listed in the State and National Register of Historic Places.