Omaha's Best Prairie House

 

George T. Forster House, 3712 Davenport St.

The estimable Omaha City Architecture guide credits Louis Bouchard (Chicago) for this 1916 house.  The guide suggests that the interior is as interesting as the exterior (with a Tiffany lamp on the newel post of the stairs, canvas ceilings, etc.), which is worth some study.

This house is much superior to all other examples of the style in Omaha, though it is scarcely the sole example as the guide claims.  The Forster house stands out because it is a relatively pure example of the style, whereas most other houses I'd call "prairie" exhibit more than a trace of contamination from allied contemporary styles:  craftsman, arts and crafts, the American four-square, bungalow style.  The difference is certainly owed to the name brand architect who rose above the vernacular practitioners who designed most Omaha houses.

The only lapse that disconcerts the viewer is the failure to use casement windows, a serious flaw which gives an ungainly look to the ribbons of windows.  The guide suggests the choice of windows was an economy practiced by owner or builder.  Gables with flared eaves present no difficulties, since they can be seen in the work of landmark examples by the foremost practitioners--see Wright's Dana house and Wright and Mahoney's Amberg house.  The lack of a basement, with the house laid directly on a "water table" of cement reflects a purity of style I haven't seen elsewhere in this city.

Asymmetrical massing also reflects the style, as does the stucco (yellow, with chocolate brown wood trim) exterior.  Problems include the small lot and the fact that the house is crowded by a looming terrace (with superimposed house) on the left;  a driveway with later garage below the house to the right makes one sense the lack of trees on the lot.  Still, this house, the Watkins house in Lincoln and Wright's Sutton house in McCook are the three best prairie houses in the state.

[See Omaha City Architecture (Landmarks, Inc. and the Junior League of Omaha, Omaha, 1977) for more information.]