Rendering by Norma Riegle- 2008

The Weitnauer Home
304 Indiana Avenue

This two-story home was built in 1886 for Dr. Royal Jennings, a dentist who moved to Maryville from Indiana.  The Folk Victorian style home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Although the home appears simple and familiar in architectural design of the period, more careful observation reveals that past and present homeowners have retained original elements throughout the home’s 122 years existence rather than replace such features with more modern products or conveniences.   

The house features a front Italianate bay window with bracketed eaves, two front porches with original chamfered posts and decorative milled brackets.  The roof gables have decorative brackets with drop pendants.

            Two fireplaces in the home have ornate mantels and fireplace surrounds with copper fireplace screens depicting nature scenes.  Throughout the home are restored hardwood and wide plank pine floors, flat panel pegged doors and claw foot tubs. The doors in the home retain original lockset box door hardware with rare marble-like glaze fired clay doorknobs.  Rope and weighted double hung windows throughout the house have the original wavy glass and bronze Eastlake Victorian hardware.

            Since being featured in the Historic Home Tour in 2002, the Weitnauers have completed numerous preservation and improvement projects.  The kitchen was remodeled and expanded using a variety of elements more indicative of an 1880’s Folk Victorian home.  Inspired by the original home and using refurbished architectural antiques from other homes, the owners constructed a generous, yet intimately detailed 200 square foot addition at the rear of the home. The addition was built using large exposed oak post beams and rafter construction.