The Lovejoy house is in a rather eclectic Queen Anne style; Merrill-Nowlan is Georgian Revival.

By 1868 he had several yards and a wholesale lumber business, supplied by pine stands that he bought in northern Wisconsin, Michigan, and as far west as Oregon and California.

[2] The Lovejoy Manor was designed by Milwaukee architect James Douglas - a large 2.5-story house with various decorations in a style described as "Late Picturesque."

He first worked in his father's shipyard, then in 1849 headed west for the California Gold Rush, where he sold water to miners for hydraulic mining.

Elements of that style are the grand portico with Ionic columns and pediment above, the corner pilasters, and the modillion trim.

The inside was remodeled into two apartments - a downstairs for Hiram and Mrs. Merrill, and an upstairs for their widowed daughter Mrs. Burton Nowlan and her two children.