Dr. Samuel Harrell House
Dr. Samuel Harrell House, also known as the Harrell House, was built in 1898, and is a large 2 1/2-story, Queen Anne style frame dwelling. It features irregular massing; a three-story, polygonal corner tower; multi gable-on-hip roof; and wraparound porch. Also on the property is a contributing two-story, frame carriage house.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is located in the Catherine Street Historic District.
The Dr. Samuel Harrell House is one of Noblesville’s most prominent Queen Anne style homes. Constructed circa 1898 on two city lots, the home remained in the Harrell family for more than 70 years. Architectural elements significant to this style are the 2 1/2-story turret, irregular floorplan, wrap-around porch, cast-iron roof cresting and ornate interior woodwork. This home has several interesting features adding to its charm and uniqueness. The porte-cochere on the south side is a feature typically found on high-style, upper class homes of wealthier families. The stained glass door under the porte-cochere has “S. Harrell M.D.” in the glass. Just inside this door in the hallway is a speaking tube which connects to what was Dr. Harrell’s bedroom. When the doctor was needed in the middle of the night, people could enter the house through this door and call to him upstairs. The home has 11-foot ceilings, four fireplaces and molded plaster ceilings. One of the more notable interior features is the elaborate 4 ½ foot wide stairway in the entry hall. The Harrell home has a large 2-story detached carriage house. While Dr. Harrell had the first car in Noblesville, the first occupants of this building would have been a horse and carriage.
The Harrell home is significant for its high-style architecture and its connection to Dr. Samuel Harrell, a very prominent, accomplished physician in Noblesville at the turn of the century. Dr. Harrell graduated from medical school in 1893, studied in Vienna and Paris in 1900 and was known for his skill in bone and abdominal surgery. In 1903, Dr. Harrell and his brother Dr. Madison Harrell started Hamilton County’s first hospital at 148 N. 9th Street (demolished). The hospital was very modern for its time in equipment and procedures and later had a nurses’ training school. Dr. Harrell sold Harrell Hospital to the county in 1914 and it eventually became what we call Riverview Hospital today.