Judge C. D. Meade House South Dakota State Historical Society

Judge Corwin D. Meade, a county judge and a prominent attorney and realtor, built this house between 1882 and 1883 and remodeled it later. The Judge C. D. Meade House is a Queen Anne design with some classical elements to which the judge added an additional half-story and a rear extension between 1908 and 1910. The house is architecturally significant because it reflects the gradual shift from Victorian to Neoclassical design in the early 20th century and the desire to keep up with trends. The architectural firm for the addition was J. H. Daverman and Son of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Judge Meade lived in the house until his death in the 1920’s.

Shortly after Pierre became the permanent capital city, a building boom ensued. Judge Meade made the substantial addition to his home during this boom. These changes are hardly noticeable and merely make the house more substantial. The home took on some Neoclassical influences but retains a definite Queen Anne form.

Queen Anne elements include the steeply pitched roof, bay windows and single story, full-width porch. The classical elements are the porch with roof supported by thick Tuscan columns, cornice with wide frieze underneath, and paired and tripled windows as well as bay windows.

After Meade’s death in the 1920’s, his unmarried daughter kept the home. The house remained in her possession until her death in 1971, after which another judge, Pat McKeever, purchased it. Dawnita and Charles Forell recently restored the house.