Traveling Through Time With the Shelby County Historical Society
Feature Article on Herman Tappe. Topic: PEOPLE
Written by Rich Wallace in September, 1996

SIDNEY MAN HELPED SET FASHION TRENDS

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Late in the summer of 1996, the Shelby County Recorder's office noted the purchase of a residence at 804 South Ohio Avenue (shown above) by Eric and Holly Van Fossen. This home is once again for sale in 1999. Long-time Sidney residents will recall that the house was always known as "The Chimneys." Built in 1914, it was the residential masterpiece of its time. The house was the gift from a loving son, Herman Patrick Tappe, to his mother, Anna. Herman Tappe, incredibly talented, and to some, outlandishly peculiar, was at the center of the New York City social scene for four decades. His life and the times in which he lived were the subject of much speculation by his friends in Sidney, Ohio. This is his story.

At the height of his influence, Herman Tappe (or Hermon Tappe as he insisted on being called), was the social advisor, interior decorator and wedding planner for many of the 'New York 400' - the most elite families in the city. The Rockefellers, Roosevelts and Astors utilized his services. His buying trips to Paris each year resulted in ideas that helped set fashion trends everywhere. His wealth grew commensurate with his power and influence. It was quite an accomplishment for a man of such humble beginnings.

Herman was born into the world on June 20, 1876, the only son of Herman F. and Anna Tappe. Herman Sr. operated a small cigar company in Sidney. His first love was music, however. Tappe formed one of the original civic bands in town. It was known simply as "Tappe's Band." Tragedy struck the Tappe family in 1883, when he died of 'consumption' at the age of 33. Tappe's band accompanied the body to Graceland Cemetery, New Orleans style. The editor of the Sidney Journal commented: "His foibles, whatever they may have been, are covered under the broad mantle of a music-loving people's charity." His son, Herman, was only seven.

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