Historic district includes The Buchanan House

A prominent home that has housed families, businesses and more over its 100+ year history is the focus of this month’s Campbell Park Historic District historic home profile.
Built in the first few years of the 20th century, the house on the corner of 7th and Dakota is located directly across the street south from the park after which the Historic District draws its name.
Design wise, this two-story house has a central hipped roof form with projecting bays and is characterized by subtle Queen Anne features. The gable ends have fish scale shingles and decorative wood fanning above square attic vents. An enclosed front porch with a hipped roof spans the front facade of the building, and a small corner entry is present at the southeast corner of the front façade.
A fixed leaded glass window is present in the second floor at the southeast corner, and other windows throughout the building are one-over-one and six-over-six. An exposed stone foundation is visible. A small hipped roof addition was added to the rear front porch after 1970. Decorative wood molding and brackets were removed from the cornice when the building was clad in synthetic siding in 1990. It has an asphalt shingle roof.

A secondary building, built in 1910, is a two-story barn, characterized by a gambrel roof and small one-over-one windows in the gable peaks. The building has been clad in synthetic siding and has an asphalt shingle roof. Two overhead doors are present on the north façade and a 1965 paneled door is located at the southwest corner.
The Snyder and Smogard famlies lived in the house from the late 1920s into the mid-30s. Snyder owned and operated the Huron Furnace Company from 1913-1920, when he sold the company to his son-in-law Smogard.
Beginning in 1956, Dr. David Buchanan operated his medical offices until his death in the late 1980s. If Dr. Buchanan’s bike was leaning against the back door, he was in the office and seeing patients.
After Dr. Buchanan’s passing, the building was vacant for some time before becoming the first home to Jan Manolis’ safe house for victims of domestic violence. It was also a YWCA Family Shelter for several years until the organization discontinued operations two years ago.