112 Grove Street
The Harley A. Smith House at 112 Grove Street is a fine example of Tudor Revival architecture, which became popular in the United States after World War I. It has a poured concrete foundation, exterior walls made of brick and so-called “weeping” mortar, and a steeply pitched, multi-gable roof with a substantial chimney, all of which are characteristic of the Tudor Revival style. The masonry contains a great many fine details, including the brick window surrounds. The beautiful lot stretches 365 feet from the street back to Leonard-Leota Park. The house is part of the Grove Street Historic District and is individually listed on both State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The house has had only three owners in its history. The Evansville tobacco merchant Harley A. Smith built the house in 1925; the architect was Grover H. Lippert, who was well known in the Madison area. Harley Smith and his wife, Hermine, spent the rest of their lives at the address. Harley died in 1982, at the age of 90; Hermine remained in the house until she passed away four years later at the age of 95. Anthony (Tony) and Jean Wyse bought the house after Hermine Smith’s death in 1986; in 2017 ownership passed to Norman Barker, who occupies it today. Both subsequent owners undertook extensive remodeling to the house.
Harley A. Smith was born in Evansville in 1891. His father was William Smith, who operated a tobacco warehouse on East Main Street; tobacco was an important cash crop in Dane and Rock Counties and the warehouses, where the processing and packing the leaf for shipping provided seasonal work for both men and women. Local physicians and such organizations as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union disapproved of the trade for its hazard to the public’s health and morals, but to little effect: “Don’t be frightened, friends,” the Evansville Review editorialized, “The trade will continue to increase as long as there is money to be made at it.”
Harley Smith joined his father’s business on returning from World War I and stayed with it until he retired in 1951. He married Helene Hermine Haller in 1922, bought the parcel on Grove Street, and by 1925 had built and moved into the home that now stands on the property. Both Harley and Hermine were active in public service, Harley for the Eager Free Public Library and Hermine for the American Association of University Women.
Both were members of the Madison Club and were active in the Evansville Congregational Church. A neighbor remembered them taking their evening walks on Grove Street, “always impeccably dressed and so cheerful to all the neighborhood children. I remember them being very classy people and I looked up to them.”
After Hermine Smith’s passing in 1986, Tony and Jean Wyse of Evansville purchased the house from her son Roland Smith. Tony reported that he had raked leaves for the Smiths as a boy and that, except for the leaves, he had always loved the house. Very little had changed about the Grove Street house since it was built: the house lacked insulation, for example, and the electrical and plumbing systems were all obsolete. The Wyses took photographs of the house from every angle to help them rebuild the house with as much fidelity to the original design as they could. Both Tony and Jean projected their love for the old house onto the Evansville Community. Tony bought and operated a Sunoco service station at 104 South Madison Street after returning from service in Viet Nam; he also sold automotive service equipment in his own business and later for the SNAP-ON tool company. He served as District 3 Alder on the Evansville Community Council from 2006 to 2012, during which time he was an advocate for historic preservation and for investment in Leonard-Leota Park. He chaired the Council’s Economic Development Committee and served on the city’s Downtown Revitalization Task Force. When asked how he should be remembered for this article, he replied: “I was born and raised in Evansville. I went away for the Service and for different jobs, but I always came back.” Tony will be at the house on the day of the tour to answer questions and tell stories, for which he has a gift.
Jean Wyse was native to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and took some time adapting to life in Evansville, but soon discovered that she had talents for business and for civic engagement. She was a gifted folk artist and operated two retail shops on East Main Street, first as J.M. Guidone Company and later as Windmill Antiques. She was a charter member of the Evansville Community Partnership and instrumental in organizing the annual Evansville Arts Fair. She also led the installation of holiday lights, flower planters, and banners along Main Street. Jean passed away in 2014. Today she is one of the five women whose portraits adorn the West side of the Lake Ridge Bank building on the corner of Main and Madison Streets.
In 2017 Tony sold 112 Grove Street to Norman Barker, a native of England who at the time had been relocated to Madison by IBM to work for The Weather Company (which makes the maps we all see on the Weather Channel). Norman has undertaken his own remodeling projects, the most recent of which is an English-style rose garden in front of the house, now blooming with more than 40 rose bushes. In addition to standard decorating tasks he has had the weeping mortar extensively repaired on all four sides of the house.
The chimney was rebuilt in place: The brick masons carefully cut out the existing mortar and piped it back in with a decorating-style bag, after replacing any bricks that had failed. Inside the main living room, the chimney is now exposed brick with a Wisconsin Walnut mantel. The original narrow-strip wood floors have been refinished. Norman, finally, has installed stained glass art pieces in most of the rooms. His English friends and relatives jokingly describe the house as more English than most of the houses in England.
Now self-employed, Norman has made Evansville his home. Like his predecessors, he has been an active citizen: he was recently elected Alder for the Third District and is a member of the Grove Society’s Board of Directors. He was previously involved in the Historic Preservation Committee and with the Evansville Community Gardens. He will be on hand on the day of the tour to greet visitors and answer questions.