ek - - +Siftilla _ , T7-fr - 1-11 WIM 0alut r & - -4- - 4-,2 G #* & 4-4 ** 0 -A- 4 4 0 1 -3 f I 4 I --1 %*2 y 1 - - lm,11111-t The Griggs Connection - 430 Laurel Avenue By John Ratto. There was a popular stage play and then 1993 film named "Six Degrees of Separation". The premise ofthis work is that throughjust six intermediaries, you could be linked to every other human being on the planet This is a curious phenomenon that through seemingly chance meetings and coincidences we are alllinked. Using this principle I will attemptto connect myselfto my house at 430 Laurel and in the process reveal its early history. This storybegins morethan 170 years ago on April 28, 1831 in Monroeton, Pennsylvania when Elijah Griggs was born. He grew to become a man of strong physique and commanding appearance. We know that he came from a very religious family and at age eighteen was baptized into the Methodist Church which he served faithfully for the rest of his life. He was a journeyman carpenter and contractor in the Monroeton area for many years. In 1852 he married Emma Wilson. In 1856 he moved from Pennsylvania to Illinois where he became the foreman of construction on the Central Illinois Railroad. Then, after 25 years ofmarriage, on April 26, 1877 Emma Wilson Griggs died leaving behind six children. Sometime during the next few years Eli met and fell inlove with Esther S. Myer. On February 10, 1880 they were married and shortly thereafter had a baby girl, Lulu. Upon his retirement in 1894, at the age of 63, Eli Griggs moved to Pacific Grove. The fact that he was a devout Methodist and the fact that Pacific Grove had its beginnings has a Methodist retreat, must have seemed like a perfect fit to him. He immediately entrenched himself in the workings ofthe influential Methodist Church in the town. Over the next 20 years, he served as superintendent of Sunday school, choir leader and trustee for the church. In the summer of 1895 he began construction ofhis house at 430 Laurel Avenue. This original American Gothic Revival Victorian house was completed in early 1896. In the United States the small Gothic coltage best characterized Gothic Revival residences. Ironically, it was A J. Davis, architect of the New York castle Lyndhurst, who supplied the designs for many ofthese little Gothic homes. Andrew Jackson Downing, in his inexpensive and vastly influential books illustrated with Davis's designs for both Gothic and Italianate cottages, effectively promoted not just a mode of building but the physical and moral benefits ofa simple rural life as well. It is unknown whether or not Eli Griggs was influenced by these designs. He was, however, in his prime as a carpenter and contractor during the time when Davis' books were being published. It is hard to imagine that he was not in some way influenced. He certainly built a classic Gothic cottage. The so-called Downingesque cottage, in which such a life was meant to be lived, was marked by a steeply pitched, cross gabled roof with a center front gable, ornamental wooden bargeboards with dropped tracery in Gothic motifs, double hung windows, an asymmetrical but balanced elevation, and, inevitably, the pointed arch that became the common denominator ofthe style. In the Griggs house the pointed arch is subtly displayed in the bargeboard design at the apex of the front and rear gables. It is interesting to note that the famous American painter, Grant Wood, in his most noted work "American Gothic" depicted a house that bares a striking resemblance to Eli Griggs' house. Along with Eli Griggs, living in Pacific Grove at the time, were three out of his four daughters from his first wife Emma. Their names were Kate, Florence and Mary. Kate was married to S.V. Druck a building contractor that developed the area for many years. He built and lived in the house at 422 Pine until he moved to San Jose in 1907. Florence was married to Samuel Lewis Fritz, the founder of Pacific Grove Really and had his house , OCR Text: ek - - Siftilla _ , T7-fr - 1-11 WIM 0alut r & - -4- - 4-,2 G #* & 4-4 ** 0 -A- 4 4 0 1 -3 f I 4 I --1 %*2 y 1 - - lm,11111-t The Griggs Connection - 430 Laurel Avenue By John Ratto. There was a popular stage play and then 1993 film named "Six Degrees of Separation". The premise ofthis work is that throughjust six intermediaries, you could be linked to every other human being on the planet This is a curious phenomenon that through seemingly chance meetings and coincidences we are alllinked. Using this principle I will attemptto connect myselfto my house at 430 Laurel and in the process reveal its early history. This storybegins morethan 170 years ago on April 28, 1831 in Monroeton, Pennsylvania when Elijah Griggs was born. He grew to become a man of strong physique and commanding appearance. We know that he came from a very religious family and at age eighteen was baptized into the Methodist Church which he served faithfully for the rest of his life. He was a journeyman carpenter and contractor in the Monroeton area for many years. In 1852 he married Emma Wilson. In 1856 he moved from Pennsylvania to Illinois where he became the foreman of construction on the Central Illinois Railroad. Then, after 25 years ofmarriage, on April 26, 1877 Emma Wilson Griggs died leaving behind six children. Sometime during the next few years Eli met and fell inlove with Esther S. Myer. On February 10, 1880 they were married and shortly thereafter had a baby girl, Lulu. Upon his retirement in 1894, at the age of 63, Eli Griggs moved to Pacific Grove. The fact that he was a devout Methodist and the fact that Pacific Grove had its beginnings has a Methodist retreat, must have seemed like a perfect fit to him. He immediately entrenched himself in the workings ofthe influential Methodist Church in the town. Over the next 20 years, he served as superintendent of Sunday school, choir leader and trustee for the church. In the summer of 1895 he began construction ofhis house at 430 Laurel Avenue. This original American Gothic Revival Victorian house was completed in early 1896. In the United States the small Gothic coltage best characterized Gothic Revival residences. Ironically, it was A J. Davis, architect of the New York castle Lyndhurst, who supplied the designs for many ofthese little Gothic homes. Andrew Jackson Downing, in his inexpensive and vastly influential books illustrated with Davis's designs for both Gothic and Italianate cottages, effectively promoted not just a mode of building but the physical and moral benefits ofa simple rural life as well. It is unknown whether or not Eli Griggs was influenced by these designs. He was, however, in his prime as a carpenter and contractor during the time when Davis' books were being published. It is hard to imagine that he was not in some way influenced. He certainly built a classic Gothic cottage. The so-called Downingesque cottage, in which such a life was meant to be lived, was marked by a steeply pitched, cross gabled roof with a center front gable, ornamental wooden bargeboards with dropped tracery in Gothic motifs, double hung windows, an asymmetrical but balanced elevation, and, inevitably, the pointed arch that became the common denominator ofthe style. In the Griggs house the pointed arch is subtly displayed in the bargeboard design at the apex of the front and rear gables. It is interesting to note that the famous American painter, Grant Wood, in his most noted work "American Gothic" depicted a house that bares a striking resemblance to Eli Griggs' house. Along with Eli Griggs, living in Pacific Grove at the time, were three out of his four daughters from his first wife Emma. Their names were Kate, Florence and Mary. Kate was married to S.V. Druck a building contractor that developed the area for many years. He built and lived in the house at 422 Pine until he moved to San Jose in 1907. Florence was married to Samuel Lewis Fritz, the founder of Pacific Grove Really and had his house , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,G through H File names,Griggs,GRIGGS_001.pdf,GRIGGS_001.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: GRIGGS_001.PDF, GRIGGS_001.pdf 1 Page 1