The John Dowe

John M. Dowe bought four lots from the estate of Edmund H. Grant on February 15,1862. Later that year construction began on the Dowe House at 334 Washington Ave. (pictured right) A local laborer constructed the house under the supervision of an unknown architect. The house was originally built in an Italianate style with curved staircases that led to the second floor main entrance. The second floor featured formal entertaining rooms, while the bedrooms were on the first floor. The first floor also contained an interior kitchen, making the Dowe house among the first in Montgomery to have an interior kitchen. The house also featured a root cellar and was among the first in Montgomery to have running water. Early in the twentieth century the wooden exterior staircase began to rot. In 1908, the staircase was torn down and replaced with a two-story pedimented portico supported by four ionic columns, changing the design from Italianate to Greek Revival. While removing the staircase the Dowe family also updated the facade of their house to reflect the Neoclassical movement. In 1950 the second level porch was removed except for a small landing outside the central door. 4

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