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C.H. Langman House & Office, 1811 12th Street
Most Significant Unprotected Structures:
Stellar Craftsman house constructed by a prolific builder for his family home and office
Architectural Style:
Craftsman
Construction Date:
1920
Architect/Builder: C.H. Langman, Contractor
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Charles H. Langman was a naturalized citizen from Canada who founded his building construction business in 1909. He had married Katherine Sherrard in 1907, and they had a son, Richard Sherrard Langman, in 1911. Katherine taught Sunday school for almost 50 years at First United Methodist Church. By 1920, C.H. had built many homes in the surrounding blocks, letting three or four as rentals. This, the grandest home in the vicinity, he kept for his family. Richard graduated from the University of Illinois engineering program in 1933 and immediately went into business with his father, when the company was known as C.H. Langman & Son. In 1942, Richard married Maxine Harriet Sherrard, after they met at a family reunion. Charles H. Langman died in 1945. Third generation contractor Chuck Langman, named after his grandfather, was born in 1948 and lived in the home his grandfather built until he was in high school.
From the earliest days, the office for the business was located in the home – first on the second floor, and then, in 1958, Richard brought it down to the first floor on the south side so a separate entrance could be established and not bother the family. Until after World War II the business focused mainly on residential construction, including homes in the Washington Park Additions, but with the passing of C.H. just after the war, Richard began taking the business in new directions, focusing on commercial and institutional construction. He was named one of the top 400 builders in the nation at one time and constructed several well known Rock Island buildings, including the Sheraton Hotel, First National Bank of Rock Island, Central Junior High School, Ridgewood School, the Rock Island County Administration Building remodeling in 1968, and the fieldhouse addition for Rock Island High School. He also built a Bettendorf fire station and razed the old Augustana College gymnasium and St. Joseph's School. The firm also removed the lightning-damaged steeple at First United Methodist Church in 1976. National corporate clients included gasoline stations for Zayre's, Shell Oil, and Clark Oil, in addition to prisons and public housing projects in the region. Richard Langman passed away in 1979. By the late 1960s, Chuck Langman founded his own construction business, at first doing rehabilitation and concrete work for the Model Cities projects, and by the mid-1970s, specializing in underground utilities, highway and earth moving work.
The side-gabled roof of 1811 12th Street has very large twin dormers on the front façade. Some windows have been replaced and a porch section in the middle has been enclosed, but the trademark Craftsman details are seen in the triangular knee braces under the gables, exposed roof rafters and full-width front porch with column bases reaching the ground. The porch roof extends seamlessly into a porte cochere, which features the same columns and bases as the rest of the porch. According to Chuck Langman, the interior features traditional Craftsman details, with a large staircase and heavy balusters. He said the bathroom was beneath the big stairs and the ceilings were beamed. His mother made the decision not to paint the woodwork in the 1950s because it was too beautiful and fancy.
The home was sold in 1964 to an officer working on Arsenal Island, Lloyd McClellan, who had a large family.
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