Rainer-Lewis House – Recent Zone

Construction of this Neo-Classical Revival style home began in 1902 and was completed in 1904. It features an ample portico with four large Corinthian columns, a romantic second-floor balcony, and a stained glass window on the interior stairway. While the commonly spread notion is that it was built by Sterling Price Rainer Jr., it is quite unlikely as he was only 17-years-old at the time. The lot that this house was built on was the site of Dr. K. W. Jones’ residence which was sold to William W. Rainer in 1889.

On January 20, 1903, it was reported that “Mr. W. W. Rainer will occupy the Ellis residence on Conecuh Street while he is having his new home built.” It’s unknown when or if Sterling Jr. ever acquired the home as it was reported by the Union Springs Herald that he and his wife moved into his parents’ home on Chunnenuggee Avenue in 1934. That same year, Robert E. Lee Cope Jr. and his wife Kathleen Hollingsworth Cope moved into the former “Sterling Rainer residence” located on South Prairie Street. This would also indicate that Rainer Jr. never occupied what is known as the Rainer-Lewis House.

Rainer house 2 — The former Rainer residence, 1980. *Union Springs Herald*

John Wiley Springer

The home was later occupied by John Wiley Springer who was born in Tuscaloosa County on February 24, 1894. During World War I, he served as an Ensign in the United States Navy and moved to Union Springs at the height of the Great Depression where he became a partner in the Springer Lumber Company, later establishing the Building Supply Company. He later entered the real estate business and for many years was the only licensed realtor in Bullock County. In the late-1940s, he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives and served one term. He was a Master Mason and former Worshipful Master as well as a Shriner. He also served as a Deacon in the First Baptist Church of Union Springs.

Restoration & Abandonment

In the 1980s, the home was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. D. F. Masters, followed by Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Mertz. In 2012, the Rainer-Lewis House was sold to Dr. Marcy Hikes McDonald, who discovered the home for sale through the internet. She purchased the home and moved to Union Springs to retire after having worked for the Veterans Administration for many years. Her brother, Robert Hikes, retired from Honeywell Corporation in Massachusetts and moved to his hometown in Florida before moving in with his sister due to his failing health. In 2015, they moved to Alma, Georgia where he passed away on December 9, 2021, at the age of 77. In the short span of time since their absence, the home has fallen into ruin and requires extensive remediation work due to water damage.

Author’s Note: While I disagree with the name given to the home, that being the Rainer-Lewis House, I felt it was appropriate to title this article as such for its the name commonly associated with this home. I’d like to also touch upon in the article where I give a reason as to why I believe Sterling Rainer Jr. never built nor occupied the home. This was included to clear some misconceptions associated with the history of the home. In my research as well, I could not find who or why the name Lewis was attached to the home.