Moment in Time Revisited

Sylvio Casparis (shown in caricature in the inset) was one of the pioneer residents of Marble Cliff, originally building what was later the convent at Our Lady of Victory Church as his home. He was the founder of the Casparis Stone Company in 1892, which merged with three other companies to become the Marble Cliff Quarries in 1913. In 1908 he purchased 5 acres in what was the Price/Griswold development called Arlington Place and contracted famous architect Frank Packard to design his Scottish-castle influenced home shown above. The 18-inch-thick walls enclose a beautiful three-story home with 11 fireplaces and a double wide staircase and connects to a two-story servants quarters. The five-story tower to the left is attached to the carriage house and was used by Casparis to check on the work in the quarries, which could be seen from the upper floor. The first floor of the tower was a stable. The property was redeveloped and is now 10 Arlington Place. (The Casparis plat was numbered 10 in the original Price property subdivision.)

NOTE: Originally submitted to ThisWeek News for publication February 16, 2005.