William Joyce House

William Joyce House/Beatric C. Joyce, 181 North 3rd Street; 1887.A large house of frame construction with stone foundation, it has a variety of roof forms, dormers, and turrets. An engaged round tower with conical rood anchors the northeast corner of the house. Rounded glass follows the curvature of this tower wall. The wall surfaces are characterized by wood board inlays, like string courses, that give a subtle horizontal counterplay to the vertical emphasis of the major architectural forms. Ornate dormers on the tower roof and a second-story porch have been removed. A porch, c. 1914, replaced the original.The structure is an excellent example of a frame construction mansion of the 1880's period. Originally of Eastlake Style because of the proliferation of wood ornament as a product of the chisel, gouge and lathe, the stripping of these decorative features has quieted and simplified the exterior. Now the building design more closely resembles Queen Anne Style. These alterations have not diminished the architectural significance of the house. Atop a beautifully landscaped knoll, the house is a handsome and imposing structure, representative of a period of lavish lifestyle and accompanying appropriate architecture. William Joyce, one of the early lumber barons of Clinton had the house built. It remained in the Joyce family until 1974. William Joyce was the son of David Joyce, who founded the Joyce Lumber Company in 1869. The Joyces also owned what is now Eagle Point Park and the Clinton Street Railway. It is now the home of Dwain Walters, Mayor of Clinton.