National and State Register

M.J. Lavina Robidoux House

Adams County

The 1913 M. J. Lavina Robidoux House is architecturally significant as an excellent and well-preserved example of the Craftsman style. 

M.J. Lavina Robidoux House - 5AM.344, street view.

M.J. Lavina Robidoux House - 5AM.344, street view.

The city of Aurora has very few examples of Craftsman brick bungalows, making this house particularly significant.  Representative of the Craftsman architectural style, the one-and-a-half-story Robidoux House has a cross-gabled roof with full-width front porch supported by massive columns, large triangular knee braces supporting broad eaves, decorative exterior brickwork patterning, and original leaded-glass and stained-glass windows.  Character-defining architectural features on the prominent front porch include chevron-patterned brickwork at the gable end, and original gable-end windows with elaborate brick surrounds of alternating light and dark brickwork.  The two gable-end windows are topped with radiating voussoirs in alternating light and dark brick.  The 1,630-square-foot Robidoux House is remarkable for its use of decorative exterior brickwork, custom-made stained glass windows, and interior quarter-sawn oak built-in furnishings and detailed wood trim.  Most notably, the house retains all of its original light fixtures, brass hardware, windows, and original exterior wrought-iron fencing.  The house sits on its original lot and retains a high degree of architectural integrity as demonstrated by the lack of changes or alterations over time.