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| Schwaller House (designed by Edward Buehler Delk) - Hays, Kansas |
Jewel Box on
the Plains
essay and photos
by Gregory E. Larson, AIA
I was
worried we would be late to our appointment in Hays, Kansas. The car’s speedometer
needle was stuck on eighty while we rocketed along I-70. Travel in Western
Kansas would have been much different in the 1920s, with many unpaved roads
where Model T Fords and Pierce Arrows crawled across the prairie, succumbing to
rough conditions and extreme temperatures. Edward Buehler Delk, an architect
from Kansas City, must have dealt with the perils when driving to Hays, Kansas,
to meet with his client, Henry Schwaller, to design a house for the successful
businessman and lumberman on the high plains.
Fortunately,
in January of 2013, I was able to travel more quickly and comfortably on my way to meet Dr. Michael
Meade (Associate Professor – Fort Hays State University), the current resident
of the Schwaller house designed by Edward Buehler Delk. Dr. Meade, the grandson
of Henry Schwaller, had invited my wife and me to see the house, attend a
luncheon with invited guests, and give a lecture on Delk’s architectural
accomplishments during his Kansas City practice (1920-1956).
Delk, a
talented architect from Philadelphia, had moved to Kansas City in 1920 to
develop a master plan for the J.C. Nichols mixed-use development, The Country
Club Plaza. He established a private practice in Kansas City which allowed him
to pursue all of his architectural interests. His projects varied from private
residences to participating in the national architectural competition to design the Liberty
Memorial, Kansas City’s monument to the sacrifices made in the World War I. Delk
was developing the master plan for the Country Club Plaza and designing the
first two Plaza buildings when Henry Schwaller contacted him.
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| Country Club Plaza - shopping district - Kansas City, Missouri |
The wheat
crop yields were abundant in the early 1920s in Western Kansas, and Schwaller
had promised his wife that when the market price per bushel of Hard Red Winter
Wheat surpassed $2.00, their reward would be a new house designed and built specifically
for them. Once the wheat price exceeded
the $2.00 level, Henry’s next concern was how to go about finding an architect
well-versed in designing high-quality residences.
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| Grand Staircase - Schwaller House |
According to
Dr. Meade, Henry Schwaller told the foreman at the lumberyard to go to Kansas
City and make the next purchase of wholesale lumber for their business in Hays.
He also asked him to query his peers at the lumber yards and find out where the
large houses were being built, and who was designing them. The foreman returned
and told Schwaller that Edward Buehler Delk’s name had come up numerous times.
Delk was developing a reputation for designing houses of the highest quality of
design and construction in the Kansas City area, specifically in the new
Country Club District, south of Brush Creek.
Schwaller contacted
Delk and requested that he design a new residence for his family. He told him
that he wanted a tasteful, yet understated residence to be built on a corner
lot on the north side of Hays. Delk focused on beaux-arts style of design which
revisits European classical details, and he was well-versed in many styles
using his innate sense of scale and proportion to create a design that suited
each client’s needs.
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| Dining Room - Schwaller House |
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| Well-tailored façade of Schwaller House - Hays, Kansas |
He worked
his magic for Henry Schwaller, and created a neatly-wrapped “jewel box” of light
stucco, with red brick arches outlining the doors and windows. A horizontal
band of brick wraps the house and establishes a façade line between the first
and second floor, while the red Spanish tile creates the lid and harmonizes
with the brick. The construction was completed in 1923. The year is significant,
because that is when Delk began to focus on high-end residential design, and it
was two years before Delk would land one of the most important clients of his
career – Waite Phillips, a Tulsa oilman.
The house
appears much smaller from the street than it actually is. The single story
appendages on each end and a rear two-story extension add considerable square
footage. The rustic shutters on the second floor windows are a nice accent to
the tailored façade. One of Delk’s signature items, decorative eaves at the
roof overhang, gives a sense of scale to the exterior.
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| Decorative eaves - Schwaller House - Hays, Kansas designed by Edward Buehler Delk |
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| Decorative Eaves - Country Club Plaza - Kansas City, Missouri Mill Creek Parkway Building, designed by Edward Buehler Delk |
Dr. Meade’s cousin,
Henry Schwaller, IV, gave us a grand tour of the house. I was amazed at the
condition of the interior, with most of the original light fixtures and
chandeliers still in use. The interior furnishings add to the ambience of the
1920s residence, reminding visitors of a slower, gentler pace of life. Dr.
Meade explained the south Sun Room was originally an open porch, and in 1984 he
contracted with a German cabinet maker who enclosed the porch with arched windows
that were compatible with the existing house.
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| Schwaller House - Sun Room |
After the
tour through the house, the host and guests greeted us with champagne in the
parlor, where lively conversation ensued. It was an event that was befitting of
the house and its history, and I could picture Delk enjoying just such an
occasion, with pipe in hand, joining in the discussion of art and architecture. A formal luncheon (with place cards) was
served in the dining room, followed by more discussion and dessert. It was a
grand meal, and my wife and I were warmly received and made to feel at home.
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| Living Room/Parlor - Schwaller House |
When dessert
was finished, we gravitated to the breakfast room where I gave the lecture and
digital slide presentation titled “Edward Buehler Delk: Architect and
Gentleman.” After such a big meal I was concerned that some of the guests might
nod off during the lecture, but my fears were assuaged as all were attentive,
and many had questions and comments at the end.
We thanked
our host, Dr. Meade, for the wonderful day and said “good bye” to his collies
in the backyard. As I drove away from the house, the tires began to hum softly on the brick pavement. I accelerated onto I-70, where
the dotted pavement lines seemed incongruous with the warm, 1920s ambience we left
behind. My thoughts wandered to the “jewel box” in Hays as I made a
half-hearted attempt to stay under the speed limit.
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| Curious Collies
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| Image of a Bygone Era (photo courtesy of Henry Schwaller, IV) |
