Since 1998 local historian Corinne Toth has been compiling the biography of Joel Roberts Ninde–who with Grace Crosby formed one of Indiana’s first women’s design company. Working at the turn of the 20th century prior to even winning the right to vote Ninde and Crosby effectively popularized the craftsman and colonial revival styles in Fort Wayne. Their work is best seen in the Shawnee Place Local Historic District, where all of the 20+ houses were designed by the pair. Joel brought inspiration and imagination to the endeavor, while Grace brought formal professional training as an architect, with education and drafting experience from other local architect firms. Toth has recently created a Joel Roberts Ninde blog in order to share her research: www.joelrobertsninde.blogspot.com.
I’ll post more about Grace Crosby soon.
post by Angie
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