Building Description McKleroy Wilson Kirby House, Anniston Alabama
The Kirby property is situated on a prominent sloping hill on the west side of Quintard Avenue. The house is a frame, irregularly shaped two^and-one-half story structure with a one-story north wing, a porte-cochere on the south, polytextural exterior wall treatment, and a jerkinhead roof with subordinate cross gables. Dominant features of the Queen Anne Victorian house include the three-story tourelle at the southeast corner with rounded windows at each stage and topped by a conical roof with a bracketed cornice; and the wraparound porch along the front or east side and the south side with turned column supports, a pedimented entry and denticulated cornice, the latter feature being repeated at the roof line.
The only alterations include the removal of the wrought-iron roof cresting, the porch balusters and other ornamental porch trim, and the replacement of the round third-story window with a rectangular louvered vent.
The transomed, trabeated front entrance leads to an interior with modified center-hall arrangement with a side hall, flanking formal rooms, and an inglenook in the foyer. An eclectic character prevails throughout, though with a predominantly Queen Anne and Neo-Renaissance format. Of special note is the precise detailing of ornamentation with the use of ornate plated brass hinges, etched glass, parquet floors, and other refinements.
The shallow vestibule is floored with polychrome encaustic tile. The foyer and stairhall are dominated by the stairway and an ornate turned balustrade, closed and paneled stringer, and unusual brass dust-catchers on the stair treads, and a large stylistic artglass window on the landing, featuring a sailboat design in the center panel.
The three major formal rooms on the first floor: the parlor on the northeast front, the music room on the southeast front, and the dining room directly behind the parlor, all have ornate fireplaces with bas-relief glazed-tile hearths. The music room mantelpiece pilasters have applied lion's heads and claw feet. The kitchen has an unusual marbleized wainscoting.
The second floor essentially repeats the layout of the first floor. The four large bedrooms opening off the hallway all have ornamental mantelpieces, crystal door knobs, and corner protectors. An unusual low door with a triangular head in the upstairs back hall leads to storage space beneath the roof of the one-story north wing.
The third floor is made up of open space with small ancillary storage rooms and may have been designed as a ballroom.
Just west of the main house is situated a frame one-story guest house or servants' quarters with clapboard walls, pyramidal roof, cross gable, side bay window and a central chimney. A one-and-one-half story board and batten stable or carriage house is located to the north, with a gabled roof and a central clipped gable. The grounds are covered with a variety of flowering shrubs including azaleas, dogwood trees, and bulbs, while thrift lines the rock wall to the south.