Studio Number 1 belonged to Frank Schoonover for his entire career, here in Wilmington. This modest, picturesque block of studios was built in 1905 in a simplified Queen Anne or Shavian Manorial style, designed by local architect Capt. E.L. Rice, Jr. and paid for by philanthropist and art collector Samuel Bancroft. It was created for students of the illustrator Howard Pyle, and the original tenants included Frank Schoonover, N.C. Wyeth, Harvey Dunn, and Clifford Ashley.
Frank Schoonover kept Studio Number 1 for his entire career; the others moved out within ten years, and while other artists moved in he ultimately became the sole owner. After his death in 1972 a group of artists organized a restoration, and the significance of the place was recognized when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Studios continued to be celebrated locally — in 2006 the Delaware History Museum held a special exhibition about them.
Picture Frank Schoonover working alone in Studio Number 1 for decades, and follow the streets and neighbors that frame the building today.