St. Amour-Johnson House
1421 South Farwell
1880, Victorian Stick Style

This home illustrates the Victorian Stick style. It is L-shaped, with a gabled roof.  It features decorative king trusses in the gables, overhanging eaves, diagonal porch support braces, and wooden wall cladding with decorative bands. This style was common from 1860-1890, between the high styles of Gothic Revival and Queen Anne. Its decorative elements, in modified “stick” form are the key to its uniqueness.
The home’s interior has been beautifully restored. The pine floors, wood work, and pocket doors are all original in the oldest portion of the house. After restoring the home (and receiving a restoration award from the City of Eau Claire), the current owners, Bill and Marian Klish, created a scrapbook that follows the evolution of their house from the early 1900s to the present, including bits of the original wallpaper.
The owners built the addition in 2000, blending the new with the old. They returned spaces to their original functions. For example, they removed a bathroom to reconvert it into a pantry. The furnishings are antique, with Swedish influences. The paintings and all the tiles in the home are the work of Marian Klish.
Historical records dating back to 1905 show Marie Alice St. Amour living at the house with her children Alice Pearl and Henry Alfred. Two other relatives, Mr. Treffle C. St. Amour, a commission traveler, and Miss Ruby C. St. Amour also lived there during the early 1900s. Alice Pearl married and moved to California. Mrs. Marie Alice and son Henry Alfred lived there for many years. After the death of Mrs. Marie Alice in 1942, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Johnson purchased the home and lived there for over forty years. Mr. and Mrs. Klish bought the house in the late 1990s.

*Source information from Virginia and Lee McAlester’s A Field Guide to American Houses, Eau Claire city directories, the Eau Claire Leader and Eau Claire Leader Telegram, Mary Taylor’s 1987 intensive survey forms, and the current owners.