Site Inventory Form State Inventory No

Site Inventory Form State Inventory No. 09-00794 New Supplemental

State Historical Society of Iowa Part of a district with known boundaries (enter inventory no.) 09-00621

(November 2005) Relationship: Contributing Noncontributing

Contributes to a potential district with yet unknown boundaries

National Register Status:(any that apply) Listed De-listed NHL DOE

9-Digit SHPO Review & Compliance (R&C) Number

Non-Extant (enter year)

1. Name of Property

historic name Leitha, John F. and May, House

other names/site number

2. Location

street & number 203 5

Street NW

city or town Waverly vicinity, county Bremer

Legal Description: (If Rural) Township Name Township No. Range No. Section Quarter of Quarter

(If Urban) Subdivision Harmon & LeValley Addition Block(s) 49 Lot(s) South ½ of 7 & 8

3. State/Federal Agency Certification [Skip this Section]

4. National Park Service Certification [Skip this Section]

5. Classification

Category of Property (Check only one box) Number of Resources within Property

building(s) If Non-Eligible Property If Eligible Property, enter number of:

district Enter number of: Contributing Noncontributing

site buildings 2 buildings

structure sites sites

object structures structures

objects objects

Total 2 Total

Name of related project report or multiple property study (Enter “N/A” if the property is not part of a multiple property examination).

Title Historical Architectural Data Base Number

Waverly’s NW & SE Neighborhoods Historical & Architectural Survey 09-028

6. Function or Use

Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions)

01A Single Dwelling 01A Single Dwelling

01C05 Garage 01C05 Garage

7. Description

Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)

07E01 Bungalow foundation 10A Concrete/Block

walls (visible material) 02B Wood/Shingle

roof 08A Asphalt/Shingle

other

Narrative Description ( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)

8. Statement of Significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark “x” representing your opinion of eligibility after applying relevant National Register criteria)

Yes No More Research Recommended A Property is associated with significant events.

Yes No More Research Recommended B Property is associated with the lives of significant persons.

Yes No More Research Recommended C Property has distinctive architectural characteristics.

Yes No More Research Recommended D Property yields significant information in archaeology or history.

County Bremer Address 203 5

St NW Site Number 09-00794

City Waverly District Number 09-00621

Criteria Considerations

A Owned by a religious institution or used E A reconstructed building, object, or structure.

for religious purposes. F A commemorative property.

B Removed from its original location. G Less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past

C A birthplace or grave. 50 years.

D A cemetery

Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) Significant Dates

Construction date

02 ARCHITECTURE 1911 check if circa or estimated date

Other dates, including renovation

Garage - 1912

Significant Person Architect/Builder

(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect

John F. Leitha Leitha, John F.

Builder

Leitha, John F.

Narrative Statement of Significance ( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)

9. Major Bibliographical References

Bibliography See continuation sheet for citations of the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form

10. Geographic Data

UTM References (OPTIONAL)

Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing

1 2

3 4

See continuation sheet for additional UTM references or comments

11. Form Prepared By

name/title Marlys Svendsen, Svendsen Tyler, Inc.

organization for City of Waverly, Historic Preservation Commission date 9/2013

street & number N3834 Deep Lake Road telephone 715/469-3300

city or town Sarona state WI zip code 54870

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION (Submit the following items with the completed form)

FOR ALL PROPERTIES

1. Map: showing the property’s location in a town/city or township.

2. Site plan: showing position of buildings and structures on the site in relation to public road(s).

3. Photographs: representative black and white photos. If the photos are taken as part of a survey for which the Society is to be

curator of the negatives or color slides, a photo/catalog sheet needs to be included with the negatives/slides and the following

needs to be provided below on this particular inventory site:

Roll/slide sheet # Frame/slot # Date Taken

See continuation sheet or attached photo & slide catalog sheet for list of photo roll or slide entries.

Photos/illustrations without negatives are also in this site inventory file.

FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF PROPERTIES, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AS WELL

1. Farmstead & District: (List of structures and buildings, known or estimated year built, and contributing or noncontributing status)

2. Barn:

a. A sketch of the frame/truss configuration in the form of drawing a typical middle bent of the barn.

b. A photograph of the loft showing the frame configuration along one side.

c. A sketch floor plan of the interior space arrangements along with the barn’s exterior dimensions in feet.

State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Use Only Below This Line

Concur with above survey opinion on National Register eligibility: Yes No More Research Recommended

This is a locally designated property or part of a locally designated district.

Comments:

Evaluated by (name/title): Date:

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 1

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

7. Description

This single-family house is estimated to have been built in 1908 according to Bremer County Assessor

records. The house form and style are consistent with houses in Waverly built leading up to World War

I. Property transfer records show the parcel transferred on September 10, 1910 from Lenora Spellman

to J.F. Leitha. A house at this address appears in the 1913 city directory listings occupied by John F.

Leitha and his wife May. Leitha was employed as an architect and contractor so likely completed the

design for this residence and may have participated in its construction as well. A construction date of

ca. 1911 appears to be more accurate.

This 2-story frame house occupies a prominent corner lot and is an example of a well-preserved

Bungalow/Craftsman Style dwelling from the pre-World War I period. The house has a concrete block

foundation with square-cut wood shingle siding on the walls, flaring out over the foundation, and

extending to ground level. The shingles are laid in a repeating pattern as follows: one narrow shingle

course – one wide shingle course – three medium wide shingle courses – one wide shingle course –

one narrow shingle course – and continuing in the same pattern. The pattern finishes the walls with a

special texture. A low-pitched clipped side-gabled roof has shed roof dormers on the front and rear

slopes and the moderate width eaves are lined with knee-braced brackets on all sides. The enclosed

front porch spans two-thirds of the front facade and has been enclosed with continuous 1/1 windows

above the original shingle-clad balustrade. Short piers rest on tall shingle-clad pedestals at the outer

corners and near the entrance. A course of widely spaced dentils lines the porch’s cornice. Other

porch decoration includes brackets at the entrance pillars.

Fenestration includes a range of Craftsman Style window designs in various sizes positioned to meet

the needs of the interior spaces. For example, four small windows are grouped in the wide dormer

space to provide ample lighting. Double-hung variations include the 12/1 double-hung unit on the front

façade to the right of the front porch and 6/1, 8/1 and 10/1 windows arranged in singles, pairs and a

group of three in a shed-roofed rectilinear oriel, all on the south facade. Another dramatic feature

window group is positioned at the northeast corner of the first floor. A shallow, low-pitched hipped roof

wraps the projecting corner bay with a pair of closely spaced vertical sash facing east and north. Each

window has diamond- patterned lights. A second feature window is now enclosed in the porch and

includes a cottage window form with a multi-light horizontal upper sash and large square lower sash.

The house has a wide single-bay frame garage opening onto 1

Ave NW. It was completed in 1912

according to Assessor records and has a low pitched hipped roof, beveled weatherboard siding, and

exposed rafter tails on the eaves. The overhead door has been replaced.

Alterations: porch enclosure (undated); garage door replacement (undated).

8. Significance

The Leitha House at 203 5

St NW was built in ca. 1911 and is a well-preserved example of

Bungalow/Craftsman Style house form from the pre-World War I years. It has additional significance as

the personal residence of Waverly’s most important early 20

century architect, John F. Leitha, which

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 2

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

he designed and built. Both the house and garage qualify for the National Register of Historic Places

individually and as contributing resources to the historic district under Criteria A, B and C.

Property transfer records show this parcel transferred on September 10, 1910 from Lenora Spellman to

J.F. Leitha. A house at this address appears in the 1913 city directory listings occupied by John F.

Leitha and his wife May. Leitha was employed as a contractor and self-trained architect at the time and

became identified as Waverly’s most important local architect in the early decades of the 20

century.

He designed and built a number of single family houses in Waverly and a handful of commercial

buildings listed below. A brief biography researched and prepared by Jan Olive Nash Full accompanies

the list of commissions.

In 1915 the Leithas sold the house to Elizabeth Sparks who held it until 1923 when she sold it to

Theresa Bostick. After a year, she sold it to Callie Grawe. She held the house until her death in 1987.

9. Sources

Atlas of Bremer County, Iowa. Waverly, Iowa: Waverly Publishing Company, 1917.

Atlases of Bremer County. microfilm copies of atlases for 1875, 1894 and 1927, Waverly Public Library.

Bremer County History Book Committee. Bremer County History, 1985. Dallas, Texas: Taylor

Publishing, 1985.

Full, Jan Olive Nash, Tall Grass Historians. “Biography of Architect John F. Leitha (1880-1937)” and

email interview, 3/11/2012.

Grawe, Joseph F. History of Bremer County, Iowa, Volumes I and II. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Company,

1914.

History of Butler and Bremer Counties, Iowa. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing, 1883.

Sanborn Company Maps. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1885, 1892, 1897, 1905, 1915, 1927,

and 1927 updated to 1943.

Vertical file collection, Waverly Public Library.

Waverly building histories, miscellaneous bound volumes in reference collection, Waverly Public

Library.

Waverly city directories, 1899 and 1913.

Waverly Heritage Days historical walking tour brochures for 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Waverly Historic Photo Collection, Waverly Public Library.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 3

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Biography of Architect John F. Leitha (1880-1937)

prepared by Jan Olive Nash Full, Tall Grass Historians (email interview, 3/11/2012)

John F. Leitha was born near Vienna, Austria, in 1880, and the following year immigrated with his

family to the United States. Details of his family and early life remain unknown, but a 1924 passport

application reveals that from 1881 to 1909, when he was from age 1 to 29, Leitha annually traveled

between Oklahoma and Waverly, Iowa, living half the year in each location.

The census of 1900 shows

Leitha in Waverly, boarding in the home of Christopher Arns, a German immigrant and house

carpenter. Just 19 years old, Leitha was described as a house carpenter, as well, and perhaps was

Arns’ apprentice. In 1905, the State Census taker found Leitha still living in Waverly, but now with his

wife May (also spelled Mae), and daughter Lucille. In 1907, Leitha received what was perhaps his first

big construction project. He was hired to build the parsonage (extant) for St. Peter’s Evangelical Church

in Tripoli, a small town approximately 16 miles northeast of Waverly.

Leitha’s parsonage was a

commodious two-story Queen Anne house (free classic variation), with a two-story front bay.

This was

a vernacular house of a design commonly seen in and around Waverly and surrounding communities.

Dozens if not hundreds of similar houses still stand in Waterloo, Iowa, a much large city a few miles to

the south.

In 1911, Leitha joined with another Waverly builder, Leo Stenzell, to construct the two-story brick

Waverly City Hall (nonextant), which also served as fire station and jail. The Stenzell and Leitha team

also was the contractor for a two-story brick storefront on the east side of Waverly’s business district in

1913. By at least 1912, however, Leitha also was referring to himself as an architect and was designing

larger buildings for some of Waverly’s institutions. His design work included a new boys’ dormitory and

teachers’ residence at the Iowa Lutheran Children’s Home in 1912; a large addition to the Sisters of

Mercy Hospital in 1913; and also in 1913 a dormitory building (extant) at Wartburg Seminary and

Teachers’ Academy, now known as Wartburg College (see Table below).

In 1914 Leitha designed the Waverly Savings Bank in the classical style popular for banks in Iowa at

the time. Built on the business district’s main intersection on a prime corner lot, the brick and glazed

terra cotta bank is a “temple of finance” with an inset main entrance flanked by Ionic columns holding

up a bold entablature, though capped by only a modest pediment. The next year, 1915, Leitha was

hired to design a large addition to the Sumner High School built in 1901. Leitha’s two-story addition to

the Sumner High School may have sparked his interest in progressive school architectural theories as

he designed his addition, as well as in modern school room and equipment requirements.

As both architect and superintendent of construction for the new Washington School in Osage, Leitha

was in control of most aspects of the project and he appears to have moved semi-permanently to

John F. Leitha, Passport Application, August 29, 1924. Accessed at www. Ancestry.com on October 17, 2011.

Waterloo Daily Courier, November 12, 1907.

U.S. Population Census, 1900; Iowa Census, 1905; U.S. Population Census, 1910.

Sumner Gazette, October 19, 1911; Sumner Gazette, July 25, 1912; American Art and Architecture 103 (June 18, 1913):

10; American Art and Architecture 103 (March 5, 1913): 10; Waverly, Rich in History: A Photo History (Marceline, MO:

Heritage House Publishing, 1996), 32.

“History of the Buildings in the Main Street Area of Waverly, Iowa - West Side.” Vol. 1. Information compiled in part for

Main Street–Waverly survey, 1990. Waverly Public Library Collection, Waverly, Iowa; “Two School Districts Were Here When

Town Started,” Sumner Gazette, June 29, 1972.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 4

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Osage. After the contracts were let in August 1916, his wife Mae and daughter Lucille (aka Lucy) joined

him, as the construction of the school would “keep him in that city for some time,”

and the Leithas soon

made Osage their new home.

An advertisement from the 1916 Iowa State Gazetteer, published on the

eve of the school’s construction, lists Leitha’s office in Waverly but suggests the architect was

anticipating considerable success with his Washington School project. The ad announces the services

of “J.F. Leitha, Architect AND Personal Superintending of all Classes of Buildings,” and features Leitha’s

rendering of the Washington School about to be built in Osage.

Washington School represents a peak in the career of John F. Leitha, but perhaps not the only one.

Following the Osage school commission in 1916, Leitha’s commissions no doubt slowed during the

construction hiatus of World War I. Service in the military certainly had an effect on his professional

career also. Leitha’s 1918 draft record indicates he was in the service at that time, working as a

carpenter at Camp Dodge near Des Moines. That draft card describes the 38-year-old Leitha as of

medium height and “stout” build, with gray eyes and dark hair. By 1920, Leitha was once again self-

describing as an architect.

In that year, 1920, he joined with another architect, Louis Rust, to open an

office in Dubuque, Iowa, the river port city on the Mississippi River. Leitha and Rust worked together for

almost two years, first remodeling the Dubuque High School and then drawing plans for the Dubuque

Coliseum.

After the partnership ended, Leitha continued to practice in Dubuque for two more years. In

1924, he applied for a passport indicating he would stay two months in Spain and France doing

“architectural work.” While this is not specific, Europe had been at war and was still rebuilding. In late

1927, Leitha moved to Freeport, Illinois, perhaps prompted by the Iowa architectural registration law

that went into effect the same year. Newspaper ads and short notices suggest Leitha focused on

residential building in Freeport. The same newspaper notices refer to him as an architect; however, in

Leitha’s own ads he was careful to only claim to be a designer. The state of Illinois also had a

registration requirement that had been in effect since at least the 1890s and it is likely Leitha would

have used the title of architect if he had been able to register with the state. Personal problems and the

Great Depression appear to have taken a toll on both Leitha’s career and his health. After moving to

Boscobel, Wisconsin, to supervise work on a Catholic school building, he died suddenly at age 57 in

1937.

Waterloo Evening Courier, August 17, 1916.

Waterloo Evening Courier, April 14, 1919.

Gazetteer clipping contained in the John Leitha architect file, Iowa State Historic Preservation Office, Des Moines, Iowa.

U.S. Population Census, 1920.

The Bridgemen Magazine 20/8 (August 1920): 428; The American Contractor 41 (September 4, 1920): 42. Rust

designed, for example, the Waverly Community Building/Palace Theatre in 1925. See “History of the Buildings in the Main

Street Area of Waverly, Iowa - West Side.” Vol. 1. Information compiled in part for Main Street–Waverly survey, 1990. Waverly

Public Library Collection, Waverly, Iowa; U.S. Population Census, 1920.

Wesley I. Shank, Iowa’s Historic Architects: A Biographical Dictionary (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1999), 1;

“Dubuque, IA. Apt. Bldg.,” The American Contractor 41 (December 25, 1920): 63; “Hazel Green to Have Town Hall,”

Wisconsin State Journal, December 26, 1923; Freeport [IL] Journal-Standard, November 17, 1927; February 9, 1929; April 10,

1929; March 5, 1930; and September 11, 1937.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 5

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

PARTIAL LIST OF BUILDINGS BY ARCHITECT JOHN F. LEITHA

NAME OF BUILDING

LOCATION

YEAR

LEITHA’S ROLE

STATUS

Parsonage, St. Peter’s Evangelical

Church (a.k.a. Faith United Church of

Christ)

408 S. Main St

Tripoli, IA

1907

Leitha, architect

Extant

City Hall, Fire Station, and Jail

First Street NE

Waverly, IA

1911

Leitha & Stenzell, builders

Nonextant

Boys’ Dormitory and Teachers’

Residence, Iowa Lutheran Orphans’

Home

Waverly, IA

1912

Leitha, architect

Stenzell & Leitha, builders

Unknown

Sisters of Mercy Hospital addition

Waverly, IA

1913

Leitha, architect

Nonextant

Dormitory, Wartburg Seminary and

Teachers’ Academy

Waverly, IA

1913

Leitha, architect

Extant

Waverly Savings Bank

100 E. Bremer Ave

Waverly, IA

1914

Leitha, architect

Extant

Sumner High School addition

Sumner, IA

1915

Leitha, architect

Prob.

Nonextant

Washington School

314 S. 7th Street

Osage, IA

1916

Leitha, architect and

construction

superintendent

Extant

Dubuque High School remodel

Dubuque, IA

1920-23

Leitha & Rust, architects

(office in Dubuque)

Extant

Cooper Apartment Building

Dubuque, IA

1920

Leitha & Rust, architects

Unknown

Dubuque Coliseum

Dubuque, IA

1921

Leitha & Rust, architects

Unknown

Hazel Green Municipal Hall

Hazel Green, WI

1923

Leitha, architect (office in

Dubuque)

Nonextant

Billerbeck Garage

Freeport, IL

1929

Leitha, architect (office in

Freeport)

Unknown

Table Sources: Waterloo Daily Courier, 11/12/1907; Sumner Gazette, 10/19/1911; Sumner Gazette,

7/25/1912; American Art and Architecture 103 (June 18, 1913): 10; American Art and Architecture 103 (March 5,

1913): 10; “History of the Buildings in the Main Street Area of Waverly, Iowa – East Side.” Vol. 2. Information

compiled in part for Main Street–Waverly survey, 1990. Waverly Public Library Collection, Waverly, Iowa; Sumner

Gazette, 9/2/1915, reprinted 6/29/1972; Electrical World 68/1 (July 1, 1916): 53; Waterloo Evening Courier,

8/17/1916; The Bridgemen Magazine 20/8 (August 1920): 428; The American Contractor 41 (December 25,

1920): 63; Engineering News-Record 87/12 (September 22, 1921): 143; Wisconsin [Madison] State Journal,

12/26/1923; Freeport Journal-Standard, 4/10/1929.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 6

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Site Map: Bremer County GIS Department, 12/2011.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 7

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Photographs: 203 5

St NW, looking northwest and west, Marlys Svendsen, photographer, 11/3/2011.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 8

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Photographs: 203 5

St NW, looking northwest towards detached garage as well as shed dormer,

half-hip roof, eave brackets, windows, and flared siding details, Marlys Svendsen, IHSEMD,

photographer, 11/3/2011.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 9

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Photographs: 203 5

St NW, looking west and north, Justine Zimmer, IHSEMD, photographer,

4/23/2011.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 10

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Photographs: 203 5

St NW, looking southwest and northwest, Justine Zimmer, IHSEMD,

photographer, 4/23/2011.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 09-00794

Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number 09-00621

Continuation Sheet

Page 11

Leitha, John F. and May, House Bremer

Name of Property County

203 5

St NW Waverly

Address City

Additional Information:

Floor plan, 203 5

St NW, Bremer County Assessor website; available at

http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/PhotoEngine/Sketch.aspx?appid=330&keyvalue=0903242008&index

=0&size=0; accessed 10/30/2012