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Welcome to the Joseph and Julia Schroth House; built in 1905 and designed by Blue Island-born architect Robert Seyfarth.

Joseph Schroth was born in Germany in 1858 and became part of the great 19^th century migration from that country to the United States when he arrived here with his parents in 1872. He married his American-born wife Julia Ann Klein in 1888, and in about 1890 with his brother-in-law Henry Klein became the proprietor of Klein and Schroth, a wholesale meatpacking company which remains in business today as Superior Farms on Blue Island’s East Side.

One of Seyfarth’s earliest houses on a more substantial scale, the Joseph Schroth house clearly shows the influence of George Washington Maher, for whom Seyfarth was working at the time the house was built – in fact, Maher designed the blonde brick home Julia Schroth grew up in just a block to the south at 12950 Greenwood Avenue.

The clean Prairie School design of this house – which includes wide windows, a pyramidal roof with deep eaves, the use of natural materials (in this case brick and stone) with minimal detailing, and emphasis on the horizontal with strong geometry – clearly have their origins in the buildings that Maher was designing at the time; compare this house, for example, to the Sanders School building on Division St. in Blue Island, and the Weber and Klein houses down the block from this one to show where the inspiration for the Schroth house came from. It should be noted that Seyfarth was working for Maher at the time that all of these structures were designed and built.

Although Seyfarth’s later independent work is better known for incorporating more traditional elements, the influences from his years working for Maher are clearly shown in this design. The layout has been changed only slightly over the years, and many of the home’s original materials and details remain.

The home’s current stewards, Pat and Val Kehoe, have owned it since 1999. It’s been lovingly maintained under their care, with Val, a professional horticulturist and avid gardener, responsible for much of the landscape design and other greenery that you’ll see both inside and outside the home.

You’ll begin your tour by walking up the main staircase to view the second floor, then coming back downstairs to tour the first floor – you’ll be guided on your route through the first floor by our volunteers inside. After touring the home, you’ll make your way to the backyard, where you can view the garden and enjoy some refreshments.

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