[Illustration: The Chase home
1320 10th Avenue North]
This large English-type residence at 1320 10th Ave. N. was built in 1926
by Dr. Sumner B. Chase, a well-known eye, ear, nose and throat
specialist. It is now owned and occupied by Don N. Kersten, Fort Dodge
attorney, his wife, Merope, and family. They acquired the home in 1961.
Dr. Chase and his wife, Edith, purchased lots in the newly-platted
Crawford-Armstrong Addition in 1922 and four years later built the main
section of the beautiful and authentic English style home. In 1933 the
Tudor or playroom wing on the east side of the house was added.
The house has main floor, upstairs area and full basement and there are
five fireplaces of various sizes. The present first floor arrangement
includes living room, dining room, television room, kitchen and
breakfast area that originally was a maid’s room and bath. There is also
an entrance hallway. A recent addition to the house is a large open deck
along the north side overlooking the wooded and ravine area. The
upstairs has four bedrooms and two baths.
The Tudor room has an impressive cathedral-type ceiling and a balcony.
All windows have leaded and stained glass imported from England.
Furnishings in the room include a massive wood hutch and a large
refectory table with heavy carved legs. The hutch is part Jacobean
period and has panels reported to be 400 years old. Both the hutch and
table were imported from England to give more British authenticity to
the Tudor room. The ceiling light fixture in the room was made from a
large wooden wheel once on a horse-drawn bus operating here in the early
1900s.
The house is in a beautiful wooded setting and there is a curved
driveway leading to the garage under the rear portion of the house.
Exterior of the house is of scrolled natural finish cement with blue and
olive green wood trim.
Dr. Chase, a native of Waterloo, began practice in Fort Dodge in 1916 a
year after receiving his medical degree at the University of Iowa. He
spent his entire medical career of 45 years in the city, retiring in
1961 and moving to Mt. Pleasant where he died in 1964 at age 76. His
widow now resides in Mt. Pleasant and a daughter, Mrs. George (Rosemary)
Haire lives in Fort Dodge.
Dr. Chase was active in county, state and national medical societies and
was surgeon for the Chicago Great Western and Illinois Central
Railroads. He was a member of the American Association of Railway
Surgeons.