Description

John C. Herndon residence, Cortez Street, 246 South Cortez, Prescott, Arizona. On the porch are John C. Herndon (b. 1849 - d. 1906), Florence May (Wilson) Herndon (b. 1852 - d. 1932), and Florence Herndon.

The Herndon residence is a two and one-half story frame structure with an asymmetrical floor plan. Roofs are both gabled and hipped; a six-sided pyramid caps the corner turret. Gable ends are projected from the wall plane and decorated with either half-timbering or shingles. Windows are banded in groups of two or three and articulated with wood trim. The porch is curved at the ends and is supported by relatively simple turned posts. Modifications of the second story have altered the original massing, giving it a top-heavy appearance.

John C. Herndon was a prominent Prescott lawyer and legislator. His home on South Cortez is one of many fine residences built by wealthy Presott families during the last decade of the ninetenth century. The eccentricity of massing, use of half-timber ornament, and handling of the porch are primary indcations of Queen Anne influence on the design of the house. The design itself may have been modeled after an illustration in one of the many pattern books and design magazines which were available to builders during this period.