510 - 512 North Duke Street Lancaster, PA
Young architect C. Emlen Urban was only in his early 20s when he designed these houses ca. 1886 in the new Queen Anne style. The Lancaster New Era (Oct 23, 1886) described these houses as “a new style of architecture” for Lancaster. The reporter exclaimed that there were no other houses in the city like these.
The houses were built as investment property by German immigrant John Henry Achmus and his son-in-law William Parke Cummings. Henry Achmus was born in Hanover, Germany. Here in Lancaster County he was a farmer. He owned the Carpenter Farm south of the city.
William Cummings married into this Achmus family when he married Adeline “Addie” A. Achmus. He owned a business that manufactured steam engines, radiators, and boilers. He erected many steam and hot water plants around Lancaster. He also served on Lancaster City Council.
The houses have much decorative terra cotta including decorative panels, console brackets, ball finials, and bands of trim. The brickwork includes corbelled cornices and pendants. The porches have turned posts and oversized brackets.