For a time, Hobbs rivaled Samuel Sloan in publishing designs, either in Godey's Lady's Book or in his own Hobbs's Architecture; containing designs and ground plans for Villas, Cottages, and other Edifices (1873). The McCormick house with its immense mansard is Design 28 in that book and was praised by the architect for its “solid, mansion-like effect” as well as for its “proportion and grand appearance.” He closed his remarks with the statement that evidently referred to the house, “We have invented a new order of architecture, ‘The American-Ovo order of architecture,’ for church buildings and large public edifices. It is far superior to the most elaborate styles of the highest type of flowered Gothic or Medieval architecture.” The house has been shorn of its porches.
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James McCormick House
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