The tree-lined, wide boulevard street we now know as Forest Park Boulevard was the brainchild of developer Louis F. Curdes, who proposed it as a solution to lagging sales of a much larger group of lots being sold by the Forest Park Co. Curdes, an officer of the company, had been introduced to the boulevard concept on a visit to Detroit. In 1910, Curdes redesigned a portion of the land owned by the Forest Park Company with larger lots, an expansive boulevard, which included “cement sidewalks , free shade trees, and fine public schools”. It also included ornamental lamp posts, several of which can still be seen on the Boulevard north of State Street, and beautiful cut stone entrance pillars. Lots originally ranged in price from $2,000 to $3,000, the cost of which was equal to the price of an average bungalow house in any other Fort Wayne neighborhood of the time.
The beautiful homes of the Boulevard are each unique, many being designed by architects instead of coming from house plans found in a plan book. They are of high quality and high style and reflect the many styles of the day, including Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Prairie, and Tudor Revival. The boulevard’s homes were designed with a common set back with garages located behind the homes, that were integral to the design of the home. They were built for prominent Fort Wayne families, including names we remember from Fort Wayne history as they made lasting contributions to Fort Wayne’s growth and development.
The Forest Park Boulevard neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
East Forest Park Walking Tour
The tour begins at the intersection of Lake Ave. and Forest Park Boulevard on the even/east side of the street.
1512 Forest Park Boulevard
The Conrad “Coony” and Anna Bayer House- This Prairie style home was built in 1927 and designed by architects and brothers Fred Pohlmeyer & “Mox” Pohlmeyer. The home is typical of the Prairie style with 2 stories, and clay tiled, hipped roof, with matching garage. The front porch is centered on the home and supported by square brick columns at the corners. The deep cornice around the roofline is accented by brackets and dentil molding. Bayer came to the United States from Germany in 1881, got work in a cigar factory and soon learned the trade. What began as Bayer’s 1 man cigar business, soon grew into a thriving cigar factory with nationally known cigar brands, including Lady Wayne and Little Havanna. Bayer built his large cigar factory on Edgewater Ave. and it is a featured stop on ARCH’s Lakeside Walking Tour.
1620 Forest Park Boulevard
The Snyder/Baltes House – This Craftsman style house was built in 1911 and is one of the oldest houses on the Boulevard. It has a unique Asian influence with a pagoda style terra cotta tile roofline. The roof line is also unique in that it features a gable on hip design. The porch and front door are centered on the home.
1816 Forest Park Boulevard
The Robert and Mayme Koerber House – This Mediterranean Revival style house was built in 1912. The style is characterized by the stucco exterior, red clay tiled hipped roof, arched windows and full width covered porch. Robert Koerber was a jeweler on South Calhoun Street.
1830 Forest Park Boulevard
The Henry C. and Wilhelmina Paul House – One of the grandest on the Boulevard, this Tudor Revival home sits on 2 lots and was designed by architect Marshall Mahurin and built in 1922. Mahurin, along with his partner John Wing, were responsible for designing most of the major structures built in Fort Wayne during their practice, including the Scottish Rite Auditorium and the Indiana Pavillion at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The home features a green tiled, side gable roof and is accented with stone insets in the brickwork and stone string courses. The windows are also surrounded with decorative stonework. The home originally cost $80,000 to build and was constructed by the Max Irmscher Co., who also built a home for himself on the Boulevard at 2103 Forest Park Boulevard. Paul was a leader in banking and industry, organizing the Wayne Knitting Mills and the Horton Manufacturing Company, which made the first contained washing machine and at 1 time, supplied over ¼ of the washing machines sold in the world!
1912 Forest Park Boulevard
The John Berghoff House – This Craftsman style house was built in 1920. It is a U-shaped home with a 2 story center and 1 story wings with multiple gabled roofs. All four gables are stuccoed with wood half-timbering and wide eaves supported by knee braces. The front door was originally in the center and has been replaced by a large window. John Berghoff was the son of Gustave Berghoff, who owned Fort Wayne’s Berghoff Brewery. John became the President of the Brewery after his father’s death.
2020 Forest Park Boulevard
The Neil and Mary McKay house – This Colonial Revival house was designed by Joel Roberts Ninde and built in 1911, making it 1 of the first homes built on the Boulevard. Ninde was one of the first women in the country to work in architecture and built many homes in Fort Wayne through the Wildwood Building Company. Her homes were designed and built for convenience and livability. This home is characterized by a symmetrical façade, with a center entry and an arched roof portico, a deep entablature and square columns. Neil was the president of G. E. Bursley & Co., Grocers. Bursley eventually became Food Marketing Corp. The house was a gift to Mary from her father, John Claus Peters, the half-brother and business partner of Henry Paul, whose house at 1830 Forest Park Boulevard is also featured on this tour.
2424 Forest Park Boulevard
The Eugene Hattersley House – This Dutch Colonial Revival house was built in 1924. The brickwork is laid irregularly, creating a rough surface. The front of the house has a small terrace enclosed by a low brick balustrade. Hattersley owned the Hattersley Plumbers, Gas and Steamfitters, which was the oldest mechanical contractor in Indiana.
West Forest Park Walking Tour
This walking tour begins at the intersection of Forest Park Boulevard and Dodge Ave. on the odd/west side of the street.
2307 Forest Park Boulevard
The Alexander Birkmeier House – This Regency Colonial Revival House was built in 1937. The façade of this house is symmetrical but curves in the center where the entry is located. The entryway is covered by a concave shaped copper roof which has cast iron supports. The roof is flat and has a parapet on 3 sides with carved stones evenly spaced around the façade. The stone used is a mix of limestone and sandstone in a variety of colors with gray limestone forming quoins at the corners and along the edges of the curved façade. Birkmeier was born in Ohio and decided to expand his father’s monument business to Fort Wayne. He began by selling monuments from his bicycle and eventually grew the business and built Birkmeier Monuments at 2323 W. Main St.
2131 Forest Park Boulevard
The John B. and Amelia Franke House – This Prairie style house was built in 1914 by architects Barry Byrne and Walter Griffin. Byrne had studied under Frank Llyod Wright in his Oak Park studio and in 1914, took over Griffin’s architectural practice, as Griffin had moved to Australia to design its capitol, Canberra. This house may be Fort Wayne’s best example of Prairie style architecture and due to Byrne, it has strong ties to Frank Lloyd Wright. The various rooflines are low pitched hipped roofs with very wide eaves. The windows emphasize the straight lines of the house, whether they are vertical or horizontal. The house has 2 and ½ lots but originally owned 5 and included a tennis court and goldfish pond. An open terrace with stucco wall balustrade wraps around the south and west corner of the house. The interior contains not only a built-in pipe organ but also a mural in the living room designed by Italian artist Alfonso Iannelli. Apparently, Mrs. Franke was not present when the mural was painted and when she discovered the mural contained nudes, she was so offended that she immediately demanded that clothing be painted on the figures! Mr. Franke was the founder, President and General Manager of Perfection Biscuit Co., the first Indiana bakery to offer wrapped bread. He is best remembered for donating the land that became Franke Park to the City in 1921.
2103 Forest Park Boulevard
The Max Irmscher House – This American Foursquare/Craftsman style home was built in 1913. Typical of Craftsman homes, it has a porch that spans the width of the house supported by square brick piers at the corners and a pair of columns on each side of the steps, a hipped, tile roof, and a garage that matches the house. There is a stone string course that accents the façade just below the 2nd floor window sills. The wide eaves feature exposed rafter tails. Irmscher was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1883. In 1892, only 9 years after coming to this country, he founded Max Irmscher & Sons Construction Co. The Company remained in business until 2014 and constructed some of this City’s most well-known buildings; the Embassy Theater, North Side High School, the Mizpah Shrine, Forest Park Elementary School as well as 2 houses on Forest Park Boulevard.
2009 Forest Park Boulevard
The Dr. Raymond Berghoff House – This French Eclectic brick home was designed by architect A. M. Straus and built in 1936. This style emulates the traditional features of the French manor homes and chateaux built in the 1600’s. It features an asymmetrical façade, a steep pitched gabled roof, elaborate stonework around the doorway and windows, and the windows feature diamond shaped panes. A. M. Strauss is best known for designing the Embassy Theater and Indiana Hotel. Dr. Berghoff was the son of Henry Berghoff, a co-founder of Berghoff Brewery and the Mayor of Fort Wayne from 1901-1906. Raymond was a cousin of John, who built 1912 Forest Park Boulevard.
1827 Forest Park Boulevard
The James H. Haberly House – This Colonial Revival house was designed by architect Charles Weatherhogg and built in 1913. Weatherhogg was an English born architect who immigrated to Fort Wayne and became the leading local architect of the early 20th century. He designed many major buildings in the Fort Wayne including the Fairfield Manor Apts., Central and Northside High Schools, the Masonic Temple and the Journal Gazette Building. This home is typical of Colonial Revival with a symmetrical façade, an elaborate entry with an arched pediment, deep entablature and 2 round columns. Haberly, along with several other Fort Wayne men, including neighbor Henry Paul, formed Fort Wayne Engineering and Manufacturing Company in 1908. The Company made water pumping and air compressor systems.
1721 Forest Park Boulevard
The Louis F. Curdes House- This American Foursquare/Renaissance Revival house was built in 1911 for the developer of the Boulevard, Louis Curdes. It is one of the first homes to be built on the Boulevard and sits on 2 lots. It features a stuccoed exterior and clay tile hipped roof with wide eaves and exposed rafter tails. The front has a wide front porch and 2nd floor balcony. The front entry door is large with wide sidelights and a fan light above. Curdes was born in Germany and in 1863 immigrated to Fort Wayne. He established a real estate business in 1893. Before designing the Boulevard, he was responsible for selling the lots and developing the Williams-Woodland neighborhood. In addition to these 2 historic neighborhoods, Curdes developed the Driving Park addition and was the driving force behind the building of Fort Waye’s first modern hotel, the Anthony Hotel.
1601 Forest Park Boulevard
The Vordermark/Zollner House – This Tudor Revival home was built for Vordermark in 1928 and designed by A. M. Strauss. It features a steep pitched, clipped gable slate roof and irregularly laid brick. The first floor is brick and the second is stucco with timbering. The entry is recessed with an arched stone entry porch. The home has a matching garage. Fred Zollner, owner of Zollner Pistons was the next owner. Zollner is famous not for his company, but rather as the organizer of the Zollner Pistons basketball and softball teams and his work in forming the NBA in 1949. In 1957, Zollner moved his factory and team to Detroit, and the Fort Wayne Piston became the Detroit Pistons. He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Historic Gallery
