Alright, you’ve made your way to where the Blake House once stood! Now, I know you’re looking at an empty spot or maybe something new, but let’s crank our imaginations up to full blast and step back to the 1880s. Picture a lively Bentonville street, carriages rolling by, folks tipping their hats, and right in front of you-this two-story wood-frame wonder, the Blake House. Built as a duplex, it was the kind of home families shared, laughter echoing through thin wooden walls while the smell of home-cooked food drifted out open windows.
What made it extra special? That fantastic Craftsman-style porch-those chunky, tapered columns perched confidently on sturdy stone piers! The porch wasn’t original; it joined the party in the 20th century, proof the Blake House could rock a new style like nobody’s business. For a long time, it stood as one of the last well-preserved examples in Bentonville of its kind, a silent guardian from an era when the city looked very different.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, but here’s the twist: it was demolished and delisted in 2018. So, it’s gone, but don’t worry-its spirit’s still hanging around, hoping you’re picturing that porch right now! Funny how a vanished house can still make you feel right at home, huh?
