Fraser & Isham Building

Dates:

1895

Location: 306 East Fifth Street, Fowler, Indiana
Architects: J. F. Alexander & Son, of Lafayette, Indiana
Tile work: Jonathon Lilly, of Indianapolis, Indiana

This unique office building was designed by J. F. Alexander & Son for Daniel Fraser & William Isham, attorneys at law. It is a well-known landmark in Fowler, a town of about 2,500 people. Fowler is the county seat of Benton County, located about 30 miles northwest of Lafayette. The building was built in the Autumn of 1895, and the furnishings seem to have been completed early in 1896. A biography of Daniel Fraser called the building “one of the best law suites in the west, conveniently arranged and splendidly equipped.”

Front Elevation, 2004 Detail of bay/turret cornice

Fraser & Isham, attorneys at law, established their practice in 1889 and had been burned out of their former office in May, 1895. The fire destroyed much of their law library and and many valuable papers. Daniel Fraser (1855-1927) was a prominent lawyer who argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, a member of the exclusive Columbia Club of Indianapolis, and one of Fowler’s most flamboyant residents. Fraser’s real name was Donald but he preferred the name Daniel. William S. Isham (1860-1940s) was a somewhat more conservative personality. William Isham’s son, Bill, took over the practice when his father retired and continued until 1961. Isham fought in the North African campaign in World War II and is said to have brought back the two Moorish busts which now decorate the office. In the early-1950s, Isham was joined by Jim Gardner, who continued at the office until 1978. The building was purchased by attorney Richard L. Christopher in 1982. Mr. Christopher understands the great significance of his office and has carefully preserved the building and its contents.

The front office features a large entrance door flanked by two rounded bay windows, allowing ample light to the interior. The door has wrought-iron hinge straps and still features the gilt-stenciled letters of “Frasher & Isham, Lawyers.” A massive fireproof vault is located in the center of the building, facing the entrance. After being burned out of their last office, it seems Fraser & Isham did not wish to take any chances with their records in the new building. The front office is floored in yellow and blue encaustic tile installed by Jonathon Lilly of Indianapolis. Both sides of the office are lined with large golden oak bookcases designed by J. F. Alexander & Son. Each bookcase is divided into three units with two sculpture pedestals on each side. The massive partners’ desk and a smaller desk or table were designed by J. F. Alexander & Son, and a rare sketch of the partners’ desk survives dated January 7, 1896. The sketch is not signed but the attached letter sent to Fraser & Isham is not in James F. Alexander’s handwriting, suggesting it was written by William C. Alexander or a draftsman. This is perhaps the only documented example of furniture designed by J. F. Alexander & Son.

Flanking the vault are two rooms, originally a private office and a sitting room. One of these rear rooms was redecorated in 1903 and furnished with a set of Gustav Stickley furniture from the Tobey Furniture Company of Chicago (ordered locally through Storings of Fowler). The “green oak” furniture included a settee, a bench seat, two chairs, a table, and a Morris reclining chair. In January, 1903, the furniture cost $253.05. The Tobey Furniture Co. had introduced Stickley’s furniture in 1900 and it would soon become a classic American style. The set remains intact with its original leather upholstery. A c.1910s photograph of the room shows the furniture and what appears to be a wallpaper dado in a square paneled pattern beneath a deep plate rail which supported framed pictures. One of the rooms also retains an original fireplace with an ebonized and gilded mantel with a tile surround by Jonathon Lilly.

Overall, the building is a spectacular example of the design skills of the firm of J. F. Alexander & Son as well as a display of the personalities of the men who commissioned it, and now, as a remarkable time capsule of legal history. A surviving letter from Daniel Fraser to J. F. Alexander requests that the building suggest “the full breast of a beautiful woman.” This, as well as consideration for lighting the narrow building, seems to be the origin of the two rounded bays, a feature not found in any other known works by the Alexander firm during this period.

In the 1950s a small addition was added to the rear of the building but it is not visible from the street. The two rooms flanking the vault seem to have been remodeled around the same time.

Views of the entrance  
  Iron lamp bracket over the front door
Detail of "FRASER & ISHAM" plaque and flagpole (with wrought-iron brackets) Wrought-iron corner fences remain intact on both sides of the building
Views of the main office from the front door  
A composite panorama of the front office (all interior photographs courtesy of Ross Aiken)
Detail of oak pilaster framing bay Detail of window seat in bay
Detail of tile and window seat in bay Detail of the encaustic tile floor
The original bookcases designed for the room Detail of statuary pedestal designed into the bookcases
Perspective sketch of the partners' desk on J. F. Alexander & Son stationary, January 7, 1896 A view of the desk's base showing the unusual turned legs on which the massive top appears to float
An end view of the partners' desk with the smaller desk or stand at right End view of the smaller desk or stand
Detail of a leg on the smaller desk or stand Door to the fireproof record vault at the core of the building