Boozer-Crumpler House
1529 Laurel Street

Built about 1912, this impressive Neoclassical style mansion is associated with the family of dentist and real estate speculator J.W. Boozer. However, on July 17, 1911, Boozer's wife Mary was the sole purchaser of the $3,200, 48-by-104 foot, rectangular lot on which the home was constructed. Both Boozers would continue their affair with real estate, with Mary having success with a few Main Street lots.

Quite different from the asymmetry and irregularity of late 19th-century Victorian homes, the couple's home recalls the balance and symmetry of the Classic Revival and Greek Revival styles, popular in American architecture from 1770-1830 and 1825-1860 respectively. With its projecting pediment and imposing columns, the wood-framed, clapboard-sided home echoes the masonry, circa-1823 Robert Mills Building located nearby. Other details in keeping with the Neoclassical style include the property's Corinthian columns, which rise to a pediment featuring dentil molding and an ornamented entablature, as well as an oval oculus window with wooden keystones. Capping the two-and-a-half story building is a gable roof with two exterior brick chimneys, one on each side of the house. The home's entryway features a projecting doorway above which is a shallow porch featuring a balustrade of delicate, turned spindles and twin French doors. The first floor's original double doors were replaced at some point with a single door surrounded by a transom and sidelights. One-over-one configured windows contrast dramatically with the multi-pane layout found in Classic Revival and Greek Revival style homes, from which the Boozers' house drew inspiration.

J.W. and Mary Boozer's daughter, Martha Boozer Crumpler, was the last family member to live in the home, selling the property in 1977 to Donald E. Rothwell. Rothwell renovated the house, which had been divided into several small rental apartments for much of the 1970s, and moved his practice into the structure in February of 1978. A few years later the law firm of Austin and Lewis assumed residency.

Staci Richey and John Sherrer

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