The Otis Nivison Dunham house at 204 West Avenue B is a two story brick home with gabled windows in the roof and a second story porch with railing, awning and screen door. The house design was of pure colonial style wrought out in red brick, running to two and one-half stories. There are ten rooms. Van Dyke of Minneapolis is the designer and the cost was a little over $10,000. The house was built in 1916 and occupied by August 15th, 1916. [Obituary Bismarck_Tribune_Fri__Nov_16__1951_p01] Otis Nivison Dunham was born on September 2, 1864 in Ithica, N.Y., the son of Jonathan (1821-1914) and Emily Ward (1822-1918) Dunham. He came to Spring Valley in Dakota Territory in 1882, as a young boy. He graduated from Taber College in South Dakota. He came to North Dakota in 1903. For many years, Otis Dunham was the senior warden in the St. George’s Episcopal Church here and one of its oldest communicants. Otis Dunham owned the Dunham Lumber Company with the home office here and with a string of 15 lumber yards throughout western North Dakota. Previous to owning his own lumber company, Mr. Dunham was associated with Harry Call in the Goodrich-Call Lumber Company in 1903, which is now known as the Bismarck Lumber Company. Otis was an attorney and operated out of his own offices. He served as a director in the First National Bank and was a charter member of the Bismarck Country Club, serving as its first President. He also was a member of the Masonic bodies and of the Shriners. Otis Dunham married Florence May Murphy in 1892 in St. Paul, Ramsey, Minn., but she died in childbirth in 1893. Their child Elizabeth Dunham died at birth in 1893. In 1901 he married Katherine Loomis in St. Paul, Ramsey, Minn. They had three children including Lucy “Betty” Crane Dunham (1905-1993), Willard Hield (1913-1999), Jonathan “Jack” (1910-2008). They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in January 1951. They moved to North Hollywood Calif. in 1948. Otis died Thursday November 15, 1951 in North Hollywood Calif. Funeral services were held at 9:30am Monday at Wee Kirk of the Heather in Forest Lawn Cemetery at Glendale, Calif. He was survived by his wife, his one daughter Mrs. Warren (Lucy) Dunham of Portland Or. and two sons Jonathan Dunham of North Hollywood, Calif. and Willard Dunham of Burbank Calif. Mr. Dunham’s uncle was Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University. Mr. and Mrs. Dunham resided at 204 West Avenue B, before moving to Calif.

Otis Nivison Dunham residence, Bismarck (N.D.)
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