512 Elms Boulevard

This Queen Anne residence has the identifying roof lines of the style -- a steeply pitched, hip roof with lower cross gables. The house faces east onto Elms Blvd., and has a full-length, flat roof porch across the front elevation. There is a metal awning across the entablature of the porch. A bay, projecting on the second story only, corresponds to the lower, steeply pitched gable on the front. The gable end has narrow clapboards, and a shallow mansard roof forming a pediment. Supported by the porch roof below, this bay has a group of three windows in a clapboard oriel. The lower cross gable roof on the north elevation is over a two-story projecting bay. The front porch is supported by tapering square wood columns on stone piers, and has square wood balusters. The second story balcony of the porch has a wrought iron railing. There is a one-story, frame bay on the south elevation. The windows are one-over-one, double-hung sash. Those set within the brick walls have stone sills, while those in the wood bays or gable ends have flat wood surrounds with a projecting entablature.

The Boulevard Inn

Constructed sometime between 1909 and 1913, the building has retained a high degree of architectural integrity. It is a good example of the various boarding house structures which were built to accommodate Excelsior Springs' numerous visitors. The building was once known as The Neal Institute. In 1917, when known as the Boulevard Inn, Mrs. Mary Sullivan was the manager. Also living here at this time were Mrs. Catherine Dixon, W. J. Dixon, Paul Bryan, J. T. Saidy, Aziz Saidy, Mrs. Anna Loler, Mrs. Catherine Murray, and John Davis. In 1922, it was called The Boulevard. Various pamplhets, all undated, list the Boulevard as a rooming house. Its rates varied from $1.25 and up per day, $6 - $10 per week in one pamplet; another shows the Boulevard Inn, managed by Mrs. Mary Sullivan, as having eight rooms for $1.75 and up per day, $11 and up per week. One booklet, printed sometime after 1933, lists rooms at512 Elms Blvd. still under the proprietorship of Mrs. Sullivan, for $3.50 to $7 per week (perhaps reflective of Depression prices). In 1940, Mrs. K. E. Dixon is listed as residing here.

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