The Frank Hearne and Alfred Lamb Houses, Hannibal, MO

Frank P. Hearne House, Hannibal, MO. 1871 Photo: Mike Steele

Alfred Lamb House, Hannibal, MO. 1859 Photo: Mike Steele

Sitting across from each other on Bird Street in Hannibal, are two impressive Italianates, the Hearne and Lamb houses. The Frank P. Hearne house, above, was built in 1871 for a lumber merchant. The house has a plain side hall facade facing 6th St. but this view of the side shows its impressive irregular plan side facade on Bird St., a duality that gives it a rather schizophrenic quality. I prefer this facade. One can see the completely towerless irregular form and the longer left-hand facade which brings the house out to 6th St. The simple brick facade is pierced with segmental arched windows that have pedimented stone label moldings above, creating a nice interplay between rounded and angular forms. The cornice has smart-looking and frequent paired small brackets on a subdued entablature board that give it a sophisticated air.

This lower house was built by Alfred Lamb a railroad president in 1859. Since this photo, the house has been beautifully restored by expert restoration craftsmen and is now the Belvedere Inn. It follows the five bay plan with a hip roof. The segmental arched windows on the second floor are topped with especially fancy cast iron rococo hood moldings. The porches have been restored with all their splendor. What catches my eye especially on this house though is its massive cupola, perhaps the largest cupola I have posted on this blog. The cupola is rectangular, rather than square as expected, and each bay of the cupola has two arched windows with eared surroundings and dentils. The sides are twice as long as the front. I'd imagine that given its size, it must produce a sizeable interior space that has more functionality than the typical cupola.