Feature 450: 605 West Truman Road (in 2011)

Classification: Contributing.
Historic Name: George and May Wallace House.
Architectural Style: Bungalow.
Construction Date: 1916.
Period 2 of Harry S Truman’s Life: Establishing Community Roots, 1890-1919.
Tax Identification: 26-340-01-02 (owned by federal government).
Legal Description: Moore's Addition, west 59.1 feet of lot 1.
Description: Contributing one-story wood-frame dwelling; L-shaped in plan; cross-gabled roof with decorative knee braces under eaves, clad with composition shingles; wood shingle siding; multi-pane-over-one double-hung sash wood windows; square brick columns support projecting gabled roof of porch; concrete foundation with daylight basement. Slightly elevated lot with lawn; shrubbery along front foundation; shade trees in the side and rear yards; Truman property adjoins to the west.
• Alterations: Rear "L" addition constructed early.
• Contributing small wood-frame garage with gabled roof, extended slightly to the rear to accommodate long cars manufactured after garage was first built [Feature 451].
History/Significance: The National Park Service now owns this property and preserves it as part of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site. It served as the home of Bess Truman's brother, George, and his wife, Mary Frances (May) Southern Wallace, and it occupies the lot immediately to the east of the Truman Home. The property was both functionally and personally related to the Truman Home. The house was built for the Wallaces in 1916. The couple acquired a portion of a lot, once used for a small pasture and garden; behind the George P. and Elizabeth Gates house (later Harry and Bess Truman's home) in August 1916, two months before their marriage on October 24, 1916. George Wallace, the third child of David and Madge Gates Wallace (the parents of Bess Truman), and May Wallace had courted during outings that often included Harry Truman and Bess Wallace.
The Wallace home was probably not architect designed. A local Independence builder named Shaupe may have constructed the house. The George and May Wallace House, before its rear addition in 1928, was slightly smaller than the neighboring Frank and Natalie Wallace house. The couple moved into their new home after returning from the honeymoon. A small garage and driveway to the west of the house was completed in 1922. The rear yard of George and May Wallace's home and of the neighboring Natalie and Frank Wallace house (next door, to the east, at 601 West Truman Road [Feature 449]), served as a private family gathering place for the Wallace and Truman families, especially valued during the Truman presidency. Both Wallace families served an important supportive role by caring for the Truman family and their home at 219 North Delaware Street [Feature 042] when the family lived in Washington, D.C., and visited their Independence home only occasionally.
George Wallace's working career included employment as a clerk at Hutig Mill Works Company for around fifteen years and, later, with the assistance of Harry Truman, as an engineer and maintenance superintendent for the Jackson County Highway Department for twenty-seven years. May Wallace, known for her sociability and friendly, energetic nature, participated in a number of cultural organizations and social groups, including the Saturday Club and the Mary Paxton Study Class. She, like her sister-in-law, Natalie Wallace, was an avid bridge player and member of the Tuesday Bridge Club, which also included Bess Truman. The George Wallace House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site.