In 1912, a 1-story Craftsman bungalow with clinker brick chimneys and porch columns is constructed on the north side of Ashland Ave at 4th St.
In 1912, Sioux City, IA barber J.R. Hackett1 and his family move to Ocean Park. Hackett opens a barbershop and cigar store in the Savoy Hotel on Pier Ave. They have builder Leroy Moser construct a 1-story, four-room residence at 437 Ashland Ave.2
The wood clapboard-clad craftsman bungalow has a low-pitched cross-gabled roof with overhanging eaves. The gable open truss and bargeboards design at the front is repeated on the side gables and the centered dormer. At the back of the broad front porch is a Craftsman paneled oak front door.
The house features clinker brick chimneys (inside and outside), and porch tapered columns. While not extensively used in Ocean Park, clinker bricks,3 with their individuality, are favored by many Craftsman architects.4
With the Depression, Hackett closes his Pier Ave business, and by 1933, he is a golf starter5 at Clover Field. J.R. and Grace Hackett6 live at 437 Ashland until his death in 1947.7
James Roger “Jimmy” Hackett (1874 – 1947) Born in WI. In 1901, Hackett is a barber in Sioux City, IA, where he marries Grace Stevens. In 1912, the family moves to Ocean Park. He opens a barbershop and cigar store in the Savoy Hotel (165 Pier Ave). The Savoy burns in 1915, and Hackett reopens his business in the 1-story replacement building (Savoy Block). In 1931, with the Depression, he moves his cigar store to 189 Pier (Parkhurst Building). By 1933, he is a City employee at the Clover Field golf course.
The vacant 50-ft by 141-ft property is Lot 8 of Block G of the 1887 Santa Fe Tract (APN 4287-020-019). The estimated cost of the four-room house is $800.
Clinker bricks are used to enhance bungalow architecture, creating visual interest in focal points such as chimneys, porch supports, and garden walls. Around 1900, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, these previously discarded chunks of twisted, charred, vitrified material from the brick-making process are prized by architects for their organic feel. This is partly a reaction to the perfectly manufactured bricks that are the new standard in the 20th century. Clinker bricks are also affordable.
Leroy Moser, who builds several houses on Ashland, employs clinker bricks at his 1910 home at 421 Ashland.
A Golf Starter registers and schedules players at a city-owned golf course; receives refunds and accounts for revenue from fees, rentals, and sales; explains and enforces rules and regulations; and patrols the course to expedite play.
Grace Stevens Hackett (1879 – 1947). Born in Sioux City, IA. In 1901, Grace marries J.R. Hackett. In 1912, the family (sons George and Clyde) moves to Ocean Park. Grace is president of the Stephen Jackson Women's Relief Corps when it acquires the Patriotic Hall at 2nd St & Hill from the Ocean Park Methodist Episcopal Church in 1923. She dies 8 months after J.R. Hackett at her home at 529 Ashland.
Between 1947 and 1954, the property is occupied by bank clerk Clifford Monger Briggs (1897 - 1965) and Marguerite Curtis Briggs (1902 - 1991). From 1960 to at least 1968, the property is owned by wonder bread salesman Kenneth Walter Williams (1920 – 1982) and Evelyn Pakes Williams (1920 - 2005). In 1998, the property is acquired by Robert H. and Marilyn T. Williams. The property last sold in 2023.