Rufus K. Allen House, 305 South Fifteenth Street, Saint Joseph, Buchanan County, MO

Significance: Although the architectural integrity of the residential structure located at 301-305 South 15th Street has been impacted by alteration, the building retains enough of its integrity to be considered as a significant contributing element to the Museum Hill National Register District and the local Museum Hill District. The Museum Hill District is significant in the history of St. Joseph, Missouri in the areas of commerce and architecture during the period from 1860 to 1931. The district is a distinguishable entity possessing historic character in the varied richness of popular architectural styles which epitomized national and local architectural trends and the changing preferences in building styles of St. Joseph's burgeoning upper and middle classes during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Queen Anne style residence of St. Joseph builder and manufacturer, Rufus K. Allen, located at 305 South 15th Street is a representative example of the late nineteenth century Queen Anne style residence property type described in the multiple-property context statement, "Historic Resources of St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri." It embodies distinctive characteristics of one of the predominant styles prevalent in the late nineteenth century America and reflects a specific adaptation to the Museum Hill District.
Survey number: HABS MO-1918
Building/structure dates: 1880-1897 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1897- 1912 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 91000112