The 1910 photo here includes, in the car parked in front, the owner of the house, Peter Jefferson Davis, his wife, his father in law, his brother and another, possibly a neighbour or relative.
The Davis House is of Eastlake Style, part of the Queen Anne style of Victorian architecture. The two storey, cross gabled, building was constructed in 1910 with a large wrap-around verandah, with two 45° angles creating a projection across the front elevation, with the southeast corner rounded. Several heavy scroll work double ogee brackets support the eaves at the front. A small balcony from the master bedroom is protected by a curved railing, while a delicate arch supported by many small spindles decorates its top. A similar motif runs along the top of the entire verandah. A tiny gable appears beside the larger front gable, directly over the entrance. At the gable peaks are more scroll work decorations, surmounted by a small fleur de lis.
Following is the story of the Davis House, one of the better known and more prominent of the Victorian era residences in the city.
The Davis House
Peter Jefferson Davis came to Grand Forks in 1895 from Pembroke, Ontario. With his brother, Ed Davis, he set up a mercantile business in the young frontier boomtown. He was a successful pioneer merchant and was elected as an Alderman in the first City Council in 1897. The first Mayor, John A. Manly, was only able to serve part of the year, and Davis finished out the term and was elected second Mayor in 1898, (but first Mayor to serve a full term). He was appointed Alderman again in 1899, later was an original shareholder in the Curling Club (1909), then was Chairman of the School Board in 1918.
Jeff Davis was born in 1861, the year that another Jefferson Davis became President of,the Confederacy and the Civil War began in the U.S. Davis and his wife, Marguerite, had two sons, Randolph and Archer, and also raised his niece, Alice George. He died in 1939 at the age of 78 after 40 years of operating the department store with his brother Ed. Ed also had a liquor store in a two-storey wooden building which stood where Boundary Insurance Service is now located. Davis' other brother, Stanley, who also lived in Grand Forks, was involved in the liquor distribution business.
The Davis house was completed in 1904, joining the W.K.C. Manly house next door on the bench overlooking town. Both homes are on 75th Avenue, then known as Victoria Avenue, between 2nd and 3rd Streets. They shared the view, and also shared one of the first sewer pipes in Grand Forks, running from their brand new flush toilets directly to the river. (Of course the city sewer was later connected when more citizens enjoyed modern conveniences.)
A "High Victorian" house with what is known as "Eastlake" detail (named for Charles Eastlake, an English furniture designer), it has a typical steeply pitched cross-gabled roof, originally making an L-shaped floor plan. The main storey bay windows give it variation in shape, and they originally featured small-paned upper panels. It also features a wrap-around veranda, with an Eastlake spindle course along its roof. There is decorative bracketing in the eaves, and originally there was additional Eastlake detail and a delicately curved upstairs porch balustrade. The interior of the home is spacious and was richly decorated, with a living room and parlour as well as a large dining room and kitchen on the main floor. Upstairs, there is a bathroom, four bedrooms and a study, one with a tiny sundeck overlooking the valley. The home has been much added to as the years have passed. It was suggested that whenever someone was behind in accounts and was having difficulty paying up - presto -another room was added and the bill was paid.