Monarch-Payne House
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| Monarch-Payne House | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Address | 1432 East Fourth Street |
| City | Owensboro |
| State | Kentucky |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1890 |
| Style | Queen Anne |
| Owner | L. E. Morris Family (at time of listing) |
| Current use | Private residence |
| National Register of Historic Places | |
| Reference # | 89000295 |
| Listed | 1986 |
| Criteria | Criteria A (commerce/distilling) and C (architecture) |
| Period | 1890 |
The Monarch-Payne House is a historic Queen Anne residence located at 1432 East Fourth Street in Owensboro, Kentucky. Built in 1890, it stands on a hill overlooking the Ohio River and is one of only two surviving structures from the group of four mansions built simultaneously on what was known as "Distiller's Row" by members of the Monarch distilling family. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as part of the Owensboro Multiple Resource Area.
Description
Resting on the top of a hill overlooking the Ohio River, the two-story brick Queen Anne has front and side gables. The slightly projecting front gable contains arched windows on the first and second floors, with sandstone beltcourses uniting the window arches. Stone is also used for the watercourse at the basement level and for the lintels of the basement windows. A one-story front porch supported by slender double columns and surrounded by a spindled balustrade balances the front gable. The gable details are repeated on the east side of the house.
The west gable is unusual in that its peak is composed of window spaces and the top of a chimney. A hexagonal dormer window at the front provides additional light to the attic level. A two-story rear wing with rectangular windows extends from the back of the main block.
The outer walls are 17 inches thick. The house has four full floors, with the lowest level partially underground but sharing the same floor plan as the upper three stories. All levels have 13-foot ceilings. The interior retains its original inside shutters, cherry woodwork, all original mantels, and stained-glass windows. The front stairway provides access to the second floor, while the rear stairway provides access to all four levels.
History
The Monarch-Payne House was built in 1890 by P. E. Payne, who had married into the prominent Monarch family and become a partner in the Monarch-controlled Sour Mash Distilling Company. It was one of four mansions constructed at the same time on East Fourth Street by Monarch family members — an area that became known locally as "Distiller's Row." The streets directly behind the homes were named Payne and Monarch in recognition of the families.
Despite the name, the Monarch family never occupied this particular house — it was the only residence on Distiller's Row that was not actually lived in by the Monarch family. The long drive leading up to the mansion was later lined with smaller houses, a development necessitated by the decline of the Payne family's fortune following Prohibition.
Of the four original Distiller's Row mansions, only two survive: the Monarch-Payne House and the neighboring Le Vega Clements House at 1530 East Fourth Street.
In 1925 the Morris family purchased the home and continued to occupy it at the time of its historic listing.
Significance
The Monarch-Payne House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C:
- Criterion A — For its association with the development and expansion of the Owensboro distilling industry, one of the city's most important nineteenth-century industries
- Criterion C — As an outstanding example of the Queen Anne style of residential architecture in Owensboro, retaining a high degree of original interior and exterior integrity
References
- Kentucky Heritage Council. National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Owensboro Multiple Resource Area. Frankfort: Kentucky Heritage Council, 1985.