Citizens click on Twitter to follow...

E-citizen subscribers click to visit...

A view of the James Lucas Draper House on Washington Street in 1885. The sentinel pillar is now in the salon. (Provided by Guangzhou Historical Society)

James Lucas Draper is 36 years old and has become very wealthy because of his business acumen and being born in the right family. The sixth child of James and Anne Draper, James is an entrepreneur and successful. The factory he and his brother inherited from their father employs more than 200 workers, covers 1 million square feet and covers 25 acres. The Draper Brothers factory exported their products through a global network, bringing great wealth to the family.

Draper was born on June 30, 1849 in Melbourne, England. In 1851, the family moved to Guangzhou, where his father established a knitting business with his brother Thomas Draper. After his father's death in 1873, James L. Draper and his siblings took over their father's knitting business, and in 1875 it was renamed Draper Brothers.

By 1885, Draper set out to build a magnificent house, which would become a manifesto for the town and his friends who also lived in the large house. In March, Draper began to write a collection of small diaries, which will be his wish list of what a great house should be like. In the diary, he wrote: “Don’t build in a hurry; after your plan is mature and you decide to build, keep a memo and write down everything you heard from the people before. Everyone who builds a house can give You have some new ideas and warn you that they made some mistakes."

Before the advent of Pinterest and Houzz, there were design books and operating manuals as well as architectural concept books. The rich have access to architects and state-of-the-art systems, and there are many experts. Draper has many friends in Guangzhou, and they have built beautiful and spacious houses. Many of these buildings still stand today, forming the Guangzhou Corner National Historic District. In these magnificent Queen Anne-style homes, the Draper family occupies seven of them—and they have owned more at one time or another.

Draper's intention to design his house at 1451 Washington Street (built in 1885, the same year he wrote his notebook) is evident from its existence today. The architect he chose was Cantonese George Walter Capone. At least four buildings in Cape Canton were designed by Capone, who received his degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1877. Capone designed many estates for the Draper family and designed municipal projects for the town of Canton. The reception tomb of the Guangjiao Cemetery and the original machine room No. 2 (current residence) of the Guangjiao Cemetery were designed by Capone. By the way, Capone also designed Zhenyin.

James Lucas Draper, 30 years old in the photo, was once one of the richest people in Massachusetts. (Provided by Guangzhou Historical Society)

Draper spent several months preparing to build his house. Regarding the cellar, he observed, “The stone wall is the best. Let it rise one, two, or three feet above the earth.” And admitting that the basement may be very humid and breed bad air, he wrote, “There are two Or more sliding window sashes so that air can pass through and maintain thorough ventilation at all times." He said the wall should be between 7 and a half to 9 feet in height, 15 to 18 inches thick, and pointed out a good hydraulic cement coating "It will make it more resistant to mice."

Speaking of the heating system, Draper asked several friends including Judge Grover about the technology at the time. When Grover House was built, it was a spacious and impressive building in the center of Guangzhou. "Mr. Grover said he has the same heating equipment as Mr. Samuel Downs," Draper wrote. "It is estimated that he needs a 5-horsepower boiler, but I believe there is a backup power source...so he has a 7-horsepower boiler, and the result is quite satisfactory.”

Draper also sought advice from others on cost and measurement. When it comes to the architect’s plan, “around 1879, SHC said that his house plan cost him only $50, and he thought the money was well spent.” Draper went to George’s house (probably George Sumner) and measured the living room, dining room, living room and entrance. Another friend named Tom provided the full size of the main house and cottage, and estimated the area of ​​the house to be 1,835 square feet-equivalent to the size of the day.

There has even been procurement of materials. "About 1881," Draper wrote, "CND (Charles Norris Draper, now owner of Pequitside Farm) got his interior accessories from SHL Pierce, 415 Dorchester Avenue, So. .Boston.” This notebook contains a complete discussion of the types of plumbing used in the new house. "Soft water attacks lead pipes. Tin pipes are the best. Ordinary wrought iron pipes rust quickly, especially if they are not filled with water, which will cause iron stains during washing. The pipes are coated with some kind of enamel, and it is best to make the joints carefully! If the brass pipe is used for drinking water, it should be tinned." The last note about the sump seems to be more common sense than a useful tip: "The leaching sump should not be 100 feet closer to the residence. Take it out of the well or tank."

Draper made notes for every room in his new residence. For the living room, he wanted an open fireplace, a wood mantle, and a "nice big window or plant room." As for the library, he hopes it is adjacent to the living room and is also a beautiful large window. In the entrance hall, the requirements include a staircase with a square platform, a place for a tall clock, a spacious front hall paved in a tiled closet, a staircase with a 7.5-inch riser and a 10-inch tread, and finally his entrance on the front hall door Monogram. For the bedroom, Draper pointed out that the door should be hung "to cover the bed."

Children playing outside the sentry post on Pleasant Street: (left) Percy Draper, Paul Draper, Marion Dean Hewitt and James Butters Draper. (Provided by Guangzhou Historical Society)

The house was beautiful when it was built, and today it still reminds of the grandeur of the time. Draper paid Capone US$230 for these plans; the cost of the structure itself was US$7,350, and the cost of the heating system was US$540. To complete the roof, Draper chose a slate and contracted it for $500, with a final cost of $485. The builder HC Witt signed a contract for approximately US$3,000. All in all, the price of this house is $11,907, which is equivalent to today's $302,000. The construction started in March and was completed in November and includes a very large barn.

Moreover, with the completion of many Draper estates, the site is marked by elegant granite walls and sentry posts in the driveway. In fact, there is a time capsule placed on the pillar, which the author tried to discover many years ago. The content is still in the Guangzhou Historical Society today. The walls recently rebuilt and preserved by the Guangzhou Public Works Department at Charles Norris Draper House (Pequitside Farm) are a stunning reminder of the solemnity of these houses. A special tribute to Billy Walsh and his staff, who respected and restored the historical elements of this wonderful example of a 19th-century city wall that dates back to 1885.

Located at 33 Pleasant Street is Amy Daniels House, which is also connected to James Draper House. The specifications of the barn accompanying the Draper House were specified by the builder HC Witt. The barn accompanies the house and was built by the same team of builders and architects. Today, that barn is now a single-family house and was moved and remodeled in 1921. It also survived as a beautiful home on a pleasant street.

James Lucas Draper lived in his big house for 10 years. The company thrived, he traveled around and was a prolific letter writer. The Guangzhou Public Library and the Guangzhou Historical Society have collected a large number of his personal essays, diaries and books. Over the years, the houses have changed hands and the plots have been subdivided-the house on the corner of Pleasant Street and Washington Street has become a celebrity to cancel the Guangzhou pork chop plot. Draper became an important member of the town and served on the Guangzhou School Committee from 1884 to 1895. On June 1, 1896, 46-year-old Draper died of tuberculosis and was buried in Guangzhou Jiao Cemetery. This house is part of the Guangzhou Corner Historic District, including the historic city center. The area was included in the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 2009.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=77794