County of house: Cooper County
Location of house: E. High St. & 7th St., NE corner, Boonville
Built: 1898
Architect: Judge John Thro
Architectural Style: Queen Anne
Original Occupant: Thro family
Current Occupant: Rental Property
District Map
"15. Williams/Kemper House, 701-703 High Street, 1898. Recently restored, the two and one-half story Queen Anne residence is frame. Ridge cresting accents the roof line." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1898
Style/Design: Queen Anne
The primary (S) façade has a chamfered bay to the E which has a gable wall dormer. The 1st story central bay window has stained glass. The central bays of the structure have a double leaf entrance which retain ornate interior doors and a rectangular transom. The 2nd story has 2 bays. A gable dormer caps this area. The S bay of this facade is a 2 story rectangular projecting bay set at an angle. It has stained glass in the center panels on both stories and is capped by a gable wall dormer. A 2 story, low hip roofed addition extends to the W at this point. It has an entrance to the S which leads to the 2nd story. This later addition repeats all the motifs of the main structure. A 1 story porch extends from the chamfered bay to the edge of this addition. Raised on stone piers with lattice skirting, the porch has pediments over each entrance and is ornately embellished with Eastlake porst, spindle balustrade, and a pendent frieze.
The W facade has a centrally located, 2 story chamfered bay with a gabled wall dormer. The N bay is an entrance. Extending from the N entrance of the new addition along the W facade and
across the N facade is an open deck which repeats the spindle balustrade from the S facade.
On the N facade is a double entrance at the walkout basement level. To the E of this N section is a pent addition on the 1st story with an entrance to the E. It has a concrete stoop and small patio. Capping the addition is a 2nd story porch.
Accenting the structure is a band of fishscale shingling, all gable dormers have small windows, scalloped vergeboards with a cut-out floral motif and a scallop frieze. The roofline has ridge cresting and lightening rods, and retains an ornately corbelled chimney cap and wood bracketed gutters. Openings have segmentally arched, frame headers with a raised scroll pattern applied. Windows are l-over-l and shuttered. A frame sill course with vertical motifs are complimented
by the use of a bi-chromatic painting scheme. The interior retains the majority of its Eastlake millwork.
"The The house was built 1n 1898 by Judge John Thro, a local lumber yard owner and county court Judge, using the highest grade lumber to meet the needs of his growing family. Thro was a soldier in the civil War and in 1863 he made the Overland Trip to California spending three years there before his return. Upon Thro's death in 1924, his wife inherited the house, and in turn left it to her three daughters Emma, Laura, and Ella.
In 1929 it was sold to Robert Turner who eventually lost the house in 1933. Turner converted the house into two apartments altering the floor plans in the rear portion of the house. It was also at this time the front parlor/back parlor doorway was closed in, central
stairway removed, west porch removed and the second floor apartment entrance built. In 1933, Mrs. Roy (Adda) Williams purchased the house at a foreclosure sale. Her husband, Judge Roy D. Williams was a prominent mid-Missouri lawyer, State Appellate Court Judge, local historian, and President of the Missouri Historical Society.
In 1976, Mrs. Williams sold the home to the present owners, the Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation, with the understanding that she could reside in the house as a renter as long as she desired.
Under the ownership of the Kemper Foundation the exterior of the house was restored. Marcus Monroe, re-designed the house, using the Vine Clad City photographs circa 1900 as the standard.
Jerry Adkins was the contractor in charge of carpentry and painting. During this restoration the front porch was extended to cover the apartment entrance, the side to rear deck was built, decorative embellishments milled and added, wood shingle roof constructed, and two separate heating and central air conditioning units installed. The two stained glass windows on the first floor were designed for the house by Joe Fray, using 1900 circa glass, the stained glass windows at the second floor level originally in the front parlor was found by James Higbie, restored and installed in 1979. The house is to be used as a model of Queen Anne Architecture, House Tours, Residence for the Kempers when they are visiting in Boonville and other historical
purposes.
Past renters of the 2nd floor apartment have been James Higbie, past Director of Family Counseling In Problem Drinking/C.A.R.E. and current Director of The Historic Survey Office and Tia Higbie, current Director of the Boonville Planned Parenthood Office.
"Since its recent restoration, the structure forms a pivotal point in both this district and in the overall preservation scheme of Boonville. It has local significance architecturally as a fine example of the style and historically for its association with several prominent families.
"The structure faces S onto High St., sitting at the NE corner of 7th and High Streets. The yard drops off sharply at the rear of the landscaped lot to afford a grand view of the river to the N. At the NW corner of the lot is a gable roofed, 1 car garage. It has vertical board and batten siding, and a pent addition." ~ Boonville Historic Survey PDF pages 1527-1534