Irwin-Hilliard Collection

The “Irwin House” at 150 East Sixth Street in Oswego, New York was the home of Theodore Irwin Sr. (1827-1902), his wife Louisa Anne Braman (1826-1900), their son Theodore Irwin Jr. (1858-1933), and their nephew/adopted son Dudley Marvin Irwin (1860-1945). It was built around 1861 and was designed in the Italianate style, while the interior was decorated with Victorian finishes. The mansion was used to house Theodore Sr.’s large private library of rare books, artworks, and artifacts. After Theodore Sr.’s death in 1902, Theo Jr. and his wife Molly Craig Hobbs Irwin (1860-1931) moved into the home with their two daughters. The home was demolished in 1936.

To learn more about the Irwin House, see the Irwin-Hilliard collection’s family history “Theodore Irwin, Sr. 1827-1902 and Louisa Braman Irwin 1826-1900: Early Bramans and Irwins,” Book 14-15, 1997, “The Irwin Collections: The Library,” Book 16, volume 1, 1997, and “The Irwin Collections: Paintings, Etchings, Ceramics, etc. of Theodore Irwin, Sr. and Theodore Irwin, Jr.,” Book 16, volume 2, 1998.

The "Little" Irwin House at 77 East Utica Street in Oswego, New York was built diagonally across the street from the Irwin House. It was built by Theodore Irwin Sr. as a wedding gift for his son Theodore Irwin Jr. and his wife Molly Craig Hobbs Irwin, who moved into the home in 1886. Theo Jr. and Molly lived in the large Victorian home until 1902, when they moved back into the Irwin House at 150 East Sixth Street after Theodore Sr.'s death. The house has become a historic landmark and is well known as a prime example of the Queen Anne architectural style.

To learn more about the "Little" Irwin House, see the Irwin-Hilliard collection's family history "Theodore Irwin, Jr. 1858-1933," Book 17, 1996.

The "Hilliard House" at 1074 Cherokee Road (once called 1454 New Broadway) and Grinstead Drive in Louisville, Kentucky was the home of the Hilliard and Irwin-Hilliard family for four generations. It was built in 1871 as a wedding gift from James Williamson Henning (1813-1886) to his daughter Maria Louisa Henning Hobbs Hilliard (1845-1894) and her husband John James Byron Hilliard (1832-1901). The home was later passed down to their son Edward Hobbs Hilliard Sr. (1882-1965) and his wife Nanine Sherley Irwin (1883-1978), who lived there with their three children, Nanine Irwin Hilliard (Greene) (1916-2005), Theodore Irwin Hilliard (1918-1943), and Edward Hobbs Hilliard Jr. (1922-1970). The brick home was constructed in the Italianate style, while the interior décor was influenced by various styles over time, including Victorian, classical revival, East Asian, and 18th century English. Parts of the home, such as the library and music room entrance, were redesigned by architect Fred Morgan in the late 1930s. The home has since been designated as a historic Kentucky landmark.

To learn more about the Hilliard House, see the Irwin-Hilliard collection's family history "Stories of the Hilliard House 1871-1981," Book 1A, 1987, and "Edward H. Hilliard Sr. and Nanine Sherley Irwin Hilliard, 1945-1978," Book 7, volume 2, 1994.

The "Duncan-Irwin House" at 240 North Grand Avenue in Pasadena, California was a winter vacation home owned by the Irwin family. It was originally built in 1903 by Charles and Henry Greene for Katherine Duncan, but was purchased by Theodore Irwin Jr. in 1905 during a family vacation to Pasadena. Theo Jr. had the house remodeled by Greene and Greene in late 1906 to reflect and expand upon their iconic Craftsman style. The Irwins sold the house between 1925 and 1926, and many of the home's furnishings and family's belongings were sent to the family's other properties in New York and Kentucky. The home was restored to its original condition and declared a historic house in 1983.

To learn more about the Duncan-Irwin House, see the Irwin-Hilliard collection's family history "Theodore Irwin, Jr. 1858-1933," Book 17, 1996.

Edward Horsey Hobbs' estate, also known as "Evergreen," was located at the corner of Evergreen Road and Osage Avenue in Anchorage, Kentucky, and it served as a home for the Hobbs and Irwin family for generations. The estate consisted of multiple barns and homes, as well as a cemetery and the Memorial Chapel, and was located just east of the "Hobbs and Walker Evergreen Nursery."

The Hobbs Memorial Chapel was completed in 1897 for the community with the help of contributions from Edward Dorsey Hobbs (1810-1888), who owned the property; the chapel was accidently burned down in 1954, but the entrance of the chapel was preserved and dedicated as a park in 1960.

The main, Victorian-Gothic "Evergreen" house on one corner of the property was built in 1844 by Edward Dorsey Hobbs. It was passed down to his son Tarlton Hobbs (1858-1934) and his wife Lucinda Gilmer Hardy (1864-1940), and then later to Tarlton's daughter Mary Craig Hobbs Dumesnil (1889-1972) and her husband Joseph Dumesnil (1887-1969). It was visited every summer by Molly Hobbs Irwin (Tarlton's sister), her husband Theodore Irwin Jr., and their children. The house was demolished in 1947 after being abandoned and vandalized during World War II.

Another home on the property, known as "The Other House," was built by Sidney Hobbs (1840-1918) in 1878 and was purchased in 1915 by his brother-in-law Theodore Irwin Jr.; Theo Jr. sold his home in Pasadena, California in 1926 and moved many of his belongings, including custom made furniture and East Asian artifacts, to "The Other House." The home was later sold and converted into the Edward C. Stivers Apartments, and it has since been demolished.

To learn more about the Hobbs' Estate and family, see the Irwin-Hilliard collection's family history "‘Evergreen,' ‘The Other House,' Chapel, and Cemetery," Book 11, 1988, "Edward Dorsey Hobbs 1810-1888 and Mary Ann Craig Hobbs 1820-1888," Book 12, 1988, and "The Nine Children of Edward Dorsey Hobbs and Mary Ann Craig Hobbs, the Tarascons of Shippingport," Book 13, 1988.