Edwin M. Stotlar, a prominent businessman and civic worker, built the home. Mr. Stotlar was the founder of the Stotlar-Herrin Lumber Company in 1901. The company operated 15 lumber yards throughout Southern Illinois. Ed Stotlar was instrumental in obtaining funds from the Carnegie Foundation to build the Marion Library. Ed M. Stotlar became known as “Mr. Library” having served as board president for more than 30 years.
The house was occupied by Ed and Lydia Owen Stotlar until their deaths in 1964 and 1953 respectfully. Clarence and Mary Jean De Mattei purchased the house in 1991 from Emily Stotlar, granddaughter of Ed and Lydia Stotlar. The De Mattei family now occupies the house after several years of restoration and preservation work. The house retains the integrity of its original exterior and floor plan.
The Willis Allen House at 514 South Market Street, the Goddard Chapel, in the Rose Hill Cemetery, and the Stotlar House are the only listings in the National Register from Williamson County. There are many properties in the county which should be considered for the National Register. Williamson County was once a part of St. Clair County, the first county established in Illinois (1790) The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation’s official list of places that are recognized for their historical, architectural, or archaeological significance and consideration worthy of preservation. The National Register is maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior and nominations of Illinois properties to the Register are processed through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
In September 2002, the De Mattei’s made their presentation at the quarterly meeting of the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in Oak Park, Illinois. They received correspondence in November that the Stotlar House had been placed on the Register.
On the first floor, there is a reception room, library, dining room, two bedrooms, full bathroom, and a sun porch. The modernized kitchen, pantry, and utility room are also on the first floor. The three upstairs bedrooms now have a private bathroom for each. Two full bathrooms were added during the restoration along with the original full bathroom. A sleeping porch is located over the portico at the mezzanine level. The nine window sash that encompass the sleeping porch are removable to accommodate screens for the summer months
The brick on the house are laid in an unusual manner. The mortar joints are no more than 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch wide. This style of mortar joint is called “buttered-joint”.
There are four rooms with coffered ceilings on the first floor. It is the first house in Marion to have both an upstairs and downstairs bathroom.
The hardwood floors are attractively laid in what is called a “log cabin” pattern that produces a mitre in four corners down to a rectangle in the center. A pair of pocket doors, two swinging doors, and a set of French doors have decorative glass inserts of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Eucalyptus Tree motif. The art glass was executed by the Linden Glass Company of Chicago. The Linden Company did much of Wright’s designs. The Linden Glass Company charged $1000.00 to execute the glass in these doors and the four book case doors in the library. An attractive Oak colonnade joins the reception room and the library. Two of the pocket doors with art glass arc in the colonnade.
The green glaze clay tile roof is the French Provincial design. This style is considered the most attractive roofing tile. Copper flashing and gutters are used throughout.
There are three fireplaces and four chimneys. Every room was designed to have access to a chimney to accommodate a coal or wood burner.
The original sand finished plaster has been restored to perfect condition. Located in the basement is a central vac system; which was decades ahead of its time.
Note: This building is referenced in Historical Architecture of Marion
(This written history, presented in its entirety and a complete description of the home is on file at the Williamson County Historical Society)
Visit to the De Mattei home on July 15, 2013
I was fortunate enough to be invited to the De Mattei home on July 15, 2013 to document some of the features of the Stotlar house. It was clear from the outset that Mary and Clarence had spent 10 long hard years bringing this home back to its original splendor.
Mary had stripped every square inch of wood in the home and restored it to its original condition and the many decades spent by Clarence in the building trade industry were put to good use in the home’s renovation.
The home sat vacant for 20 to 30 years before the De Mattei’s purchased it in 1991 and stopped up gutters causing water issues had created problems particularly over the sun room on the east side where water had pooled up. At one point, a homeless person had nested in one of the second floor bedrooms and started a camp fire on the hardwood floors.
It was noted by Clarence that a local mason indicated to him that the buttered joint masonry on the home had been excellently tuck pointed. Clarence pointed out that no tuck pointing had been required and that the masonry was all original. Clarence also commented that the rooms were as square and perfectly built as any that he had encountered, indicating the professional precision that was built into the original home.
Clarence has, since purchasing the home, become a devotee of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. He pointed out that the Eucalyptus design, consisting of sloping chevrons, are repeated throughout the home, in addition to the masonry work on the exterior of the home. The small red squares found in most all of the stained glass in the home is Wright’s signature and represents integrity and honesty.
Ed Stotlar was a collector of many things, as is Mary De Mattei, and many of his original belongings remained in the home, ending up in the hands of the De Mattei’s. His collections of art, books and magazines were stored in compartmentalized, sectional cabinets that were stacked from floor to ceiling in more than one room. Stotlar was also active in the local Boy Scouts.
The restored sun room on the east side of the home used to be lined with original stained glass having a vine and grape elements in them, but were removed early on and sold by one of Ed Stotlar’s sons.
The sleeping room on the west side of the home over the driveway used to be used by the original occupants in the summer, since all the windows could be opened which allowed for a cool breeze.
An ice order card was found in the home complete with a hook to hang it on outside the side entrance to let the ice man know how much ice to order. The sign could be mounted with 25, 50, 75 or 100 lbs pointing up. Just inside the side door was access to the ice box for keeping food cool.
An original annunciator or door chime is still in the home allowing distinct chimes for four entry doors as well as many of the original overhead lights and light switches of the old push on push off button type. At least one of the overhead lights was designed by Quezal, a protégé of Tiffany.
The original central vacuum system still remains in the basement near one of two original cisterns that were used to store water from the gutters. Clarence indicated that in times of drought, the Stotlar family made the cistern’s store of water available to neighbors who would bring their own buckets.
It is known that Ed Stotlar when having the home designed made at least one trip to Chicago to visit with Frank Lloyd Wright in his home.
Clarence is a retired carpenter and taught building trades at the Marion High School while Mary is a retired kindergarten teacher.
The De Mattei’s have six children, Mike teaches construction management at John A. Logan College, Clay is a local surgeon with an office here in Marion, son J.J. is a retired coach at Centralia, John is a pharmaceutical chemist, Gina is a librarian and teacher in North Carolina and Jeana is a teacher and athletic director at the Marion Junior High school.
(Data from conversation with the De Mattei’s by Sam Lattuca on July 15, 2013)