HomeMy WebLinkAboutIntensive National Registry Survey of Downtown Stillwater, MinnesotaINTENSIVE NATIONAL REGISTER SWEY OF
' DOWNTOWN STILLWATER, MINNESOTA .-
FINAL REPORT .
by
Norene Roberts, Ph.D.,
Principle Investigator
assisted by Rhonda Evenson
HISTORICAL RESEARCH, INC.
7800 Tessman Drive
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55445-2734
(612) 560-4348
for the
STILLWATER HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
and the
CITY OF STILLWATER
Planning Department
Stillwater, Minnesota
Contract Number 27-88-30112A.001
Minnesota Historical Society
Certified Local Government Grant
August, 1989
This project has been financed in part with Federal funds from the
National Park Service, Department of the Interior, through the City of
Stillwater, Minnesota under provisions of the National Historic
Preservation Act as amended. However, the contents and opinions do not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the
Interior, nor does the mention of tr.ade names or commercial products
constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the
Interior.
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the U.S. Department of Interior prohibits
discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or
handicap in its federally assisted program. If you believe you have
been discriminated against in any program activity, or facility as
described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:
Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington,
D.C. 20240
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION 1
11. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION by Ann Pung-Terwedo 5
111. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS . . 10
IV HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF DOWNTOWN STILLWATER 2 1
. . RESULTS V. 4 6
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS 5 6
VII ENDNOTES 61
APPENDIX A: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CRITERIA
APPENDIX B: LIST OF INVENTORIED PROPERTIES
APPENDIX C: BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX D: CONTRACTOR RESUME
LIST OF MAPS
MAP 1:
MAP 2:
, MAP 3:
Original Intensive Study Area
Final Intensive Study Area
Boundary for Stillwater Historic Commercial District
INTRODUCTION
This report summarizes the National Register of Historic Places
intensive survey of the downtown commercial area of the.City of
. .
Stillwater, Minnesota, Washington County, conducted between September,
1988 and August, 1989. Historical Research, Inc., of Minneapolis,
. .
performed the work with the assistance of Rhonda Evenson, a graduate of
the American Studies and History departments at St. Cloud State
University. Mr. Dennis Gimmestad, Ms. Susan Roth, and Thomas Hruby,
State Historic Preservation Office, Minnesota Historical Society,
supervised the Stillwater contract. Ann Pung-Terwedo, Assistant City
Planner for the City of Stillwater, administered the contract and
served as point person with the Stillwater Heritage Preservation
Commission, the contractor, city offices, and local informants. Dr.
Norene Roberts, President of HRI, was the principle investigator.
- .-
An intensive survey demands total coverage of a geographical area.
Every property in that area is field recorded, photographed and
studied. Sufficient historical information is gathered to evaluate
which properties are eligible for listing on the National Register of
Historic Places. The end product is a National Register nomination, in
this case for a commercial district in downtown Stillwater, Minnesota.
The contract between the City of Stillwater and Historical Research,
Inc. called for an intensive survey of the geographical area shown in
Map 1. As the field work commenced, it became clear that some areas of
the central business district should have been included which were
not. The two parties met and decided to expand the geographical limits
of this study. The ultimate limits of the work are shown in Map 2.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
Ann Pung-Terwedo, Assistant City Planner, Stillwater
The Certified Local Government Grant for an intensive survey of
downtown Stillwater leading to a Stillwater Historic Commercial
District was administered by Ann Pung-Terwedo, Assistant Planner of the
Stillwater Planning Department along with support of the Stillwater
Heritage Preservation Commission. The Stillwater HPC is currently
composed of seven members: Chairman Maurice Stenerson, Maureen
Workman, Jeff Johnson, Ray Zaworski,.Richard Hauer, Duane Hubbs, and
Maurene Lodge. Former members.Terry Alliband and Shirley Tibbets also
contributed to this study.
Dr. Norene Roberts, the consultant hired to conduct the survey,
reported to Ms. Terwedo on a bi-monthly basis to update the City of
Stillwater on her progress. She also met with the Stillwater HPC in
-.
November 1988 to review her field work.
The City of Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission received
certified Local Government status in January, 1988. A first goal of
the group was to conduct an historic survey of downtown Stillwater.
The City of Stillwater was in the process of completing a Downtown
Plan- A section of this plan included a summary of historic resources
in downtown Stillwater and recommended a more in-depth historical and
architectural study of the downtown for possible designation as a
National Register of Historic Places and local historical district. In
addition, the Heritage Preservation Ordinance No. 644 stated in
Section 22.01 Subd. 4 that the policy and purpose of the Stillwater HPC
was in the following relationship to the City council:'
the City Council, upon request of the Commission, may direct City
Staff to prepare studies which catalogue buildings, land, areas,
districts, or other objects to be considered for designation as
Heritage Preservation sites.
The Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission, supported by City
Planning staff, applied for a certified Local Government Grant in
January 1988. Ann Pung-Terwedo, Assistant Planner, and Maurice
Stenerson, Chairperson of the Stillwater HPC, met with the State Grants
Review Board in March of that year. The grant was awarded to
Stillwater during the Summer of 1988 with the final grant grant
approval completed on August 23, 1988.
- .-
Prior to grant proposal submittal, the Stillwater HPC and City Staff
sent notices to firms and persons knowledgeable in historical and
architectural surveys and writing National Register nominations. This
was done because the Stillwater HPC felt that they should consult with
and hire a professional in historic National Register surveys because
they wanted an intensive study of downtown Stillwater. The Cornmission
members and the City Staff realized that none of the interested city
employees or HPC members had the necessary experience to conduct an
in-house intensive survey such as was required for an intensive
downtown inventory, assessment, and nomination of properties
potentially eligible to the National Register.
The Stillwater HPC sent out a letter to historical consultants.provided
from a list supplied by the Minnesota Historical Society. Resumes and
hourly fees were requested in the letter of initial interest. The City
of Stillwater received four letters and interviewed those who had
successfully completed National Register nominations and conducted
similar research in this type of work. Based on the quoted hourly
wages, her experience in similar district nominations, and her previous
work in Stillwater, Dr. Norene Roberts seemed to meet the needs of the
Stillwater HPC. She had completed a Section 106 Corps of Engineerg
study in July 1985 entitled "Historical Reconstruction of the - .-
Riverfront, Stillwater, Minnesota." We felt that we could build on and
take advantage of her research from this previous study and that she
was best qualified to do a downtown intensive survey, building on her
previous work and her familiarity with the city. The Stillwater HPC
chose her to conduct the intensive historical and architectural'survey~
After the grant from the Minnesota Historical Society was awarded and
the consultant was hired and began work in September 1988, the
Stillwater KPC met approximately ten times during the period from
September 1988-August 1989 to administer and provide in-put to the
consultant and her work. This was in addition to the regular meetings
of the Stillwater HPC. The Commission members reviewed much of Dr.
Roberts' work and commented or added to historical information provided
by the consultant. These meetings were part of the required local
in-kind match. Additional volunteers were sought by the City staff
from Rivertown Restoration and other community groups. The response
was low, but it did not affect the accuracy of the information in the
survey.
As another part of the in-kind match, Ann Pung-Terwedo, ~ssistant City
Planner, and Maurice Stenerson of the stillwater' HPC provided
additional help. Ms. Terwedo administered the Grant throughout:
driving to the consultant to deliver files, talking to the consultant
on a bi-monthly basis, photocopying files identified by the consultant
-.
and conducting additional research in the Stillwater Public Library in
concert with Ms. Sue Collins, providing to consultant with and checking
and rechecking legal descriptions, owner's names, and addresses for
individual properties in the survey area; searching for additional
historical information, contacting local informants, and meeting with
the consultant and monitoring her progress on the contract. Ms.
Terwedo also processed progress reports from and processed payments to
the consultant, and forwarded payments, and processed paperwork to the
Grants Office of the Minnesota Historical Society. She met with the
MHS Grants Office as called for in the Grant or as needed. Ms. Terwedo
and the consultant met on or before all the dates stated in the grant
agreement by KHS.
Mr. Maurice Stenerson, Chairperson of the Stillwater HPC volunteered
much of his time during this survey. He was in the survey area much of
the time the consultant was doing field work and inventory photography
in September and October 1988 to answer occasional questions and
provide suggestions for tracking down additional information. He spoke
to the consultant several times by telephone to answer additional
research questions. He conducted additional research and assisted the
consultant with hours of research at the Stillwater Gazette in
searching the photo morgues and historical files. His assistance was
invaluable to this study.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
National Register survey work, assessments of inventoried properties,
and nominations go hand in hand with the State Historic Preservaton
Office's (SEPO) Comprehensive Planning Process. Since this survey
contract called for a standing structure historic and architectural
intensive survey, the SEfPO's Post-Contact Period Contexts document,
Minnesota History in Sites and Structures: A Comprehensive Preservation
Planning Process (August, 1985), was used as a basis for the research
design and objectives. This document guides all surveys undertaken by
the state of Minnesota's Historic Preservation Office.
Minnesota History in Sites and Structures is the comprehensive planning
document developed by the SHPO staff to provide historic contexts and
set objectives for National Register surveys in Minnesota. An historic
context is an organizational framework that integrates information
- --
about related historic properties based on theme, geographical limits,
and chronological period. This planning document is generally
organized thematically, geographically, and chronologically and divides
Minnesota into a number of related study units and large regions. In
defining the Post-Contact Period (the period after first
Indian-European contact), the comprehensive plan first devised context
outlines for the entire Post-Contact Period. A comprehensive series of
contexts for the' period and context boundaries for.Minnesota were
defined and justified, using available data in the SHPO files and the
library holdings of the Minnesota Historical Society. Historic Context
Assessments (including a more detailed definition, an examination of
the data base, existing site forms, and data gaps in. the Preservation
Office files, a listing of property types, and an operating plan) for
the individual contexts have been developed by the Minnesota SBPO
staff. This information has been incorporated in the Comprehensive
Planning Process by the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office.
Contexts have been defined with chro,nological and geographical limits.
'
Included for each context is a context definition, lists of the
expected types and distribution of historic properties, a set of
research questions, lists of the county-wide surveys completed to date,
and selected lists of National Register properties associated with each
context.
- -.
The major Historic Context developed so far for the geographical area
which includes Washington County is "St. Croix Triangle Lumbering,
1830s-1900s." stillwater, Minnesota, does contain a few remaining
structures relevant to the early white pine industry in Minnesota. A
historic context for urban and suburban growth has not been developed
yet for Minnesota. We therefore conducted this survey without benefit
of well-defined historical contexts for the urban landscape. On the
other hand, information on surveyed sites can now be added to similar
information on Minneapolis/St. Paul and Duluth, the other two urban
areas in Minnesota. This information will provide the basis for the
development of a Historic Context for urban/ suburban areas in
Minnesota and defined property types. This issue is further developed
in the general Recommendations section of this report.
The Research Design section of this report explains generally how this
survey was conducted. Following this is a section on Methods which
discusses pre-field work, a part of the Identification phase. The next
section, the Results chapter is orga.nized by site number and contains a
brief historical overview, information about how the field work was
conducted and our field impressions, and specific recommendations for
future work. .This organization allows the user to go to one place in
the report for all information on a specific location (building). The
last chapter contains general recommendations for the study area.
Appendices contain the criteria for eligibility to the National - .-
Register of Historic Places, a list of sites surveyed as part of this
project, and lists of those properties we recommend to the State
Historic Preservation Office as eligible to the National Register.
Inventory forms on each of the recorded sites are on file in the State
Historic Preservation Office, at the Ft. Snelling History Center
in St. Paul, Minnesota Historical Society, as well as with the
Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission, and at the Stillwater
Public Library history collection. Such raw data is particularly
useful in Section 106 reviews mandated by the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. Section 106 requires federal
agencies to accommodate historic preservation concerns in Federal
undertakings. For those who are interested in reading more about
Stillwater, Minnesota and Washington County, a bibliography is
provided.
Objectives
The study objectives in a National Register survey with developed
I contexts are:
I Identification:
a) --to locate, map, photograph, and document a broad range of
historically and archtitecturally notable properties within the
boundaries of the study area.
b) --to locate, map, photograph and document notable examples of
property types associated with the historic contexts., and ;
c) --property types that .have not yet been identified but that
might be added to the list of other relevantcontexts for .the county.
dl --to assist the county historical society and other local
historical groups with the documentation of historically or
architectually notable properties, thereby enhancing their collections,
heightening public awareness of preservation issues, and encouraging
planning and preservation at the local level.
e) --to accomplish the first step towards the evaluation and
registration of a group of significant properties in the county.
'f) --to identify areas of themes which may merit additional
identification activity.
Evaluation:
a) --to evaluate inventoried properties in terms of the two major
historic context outlines and the National Register criteria.
b) --to use this information to augment and /or modify established
historic contexts or to suggest the establishment of new contexts.
Registration:
'--to compile documentation for the National Register nominations
for a number of properties whose significance within the established
historic contexts (or other contexts) can be firmly established and
which appear to meet the National Register criteria. ':
Registration of eligible properties is part of this contract; that is,
we were required to prepare a National Register nomination-as part of
our work.
At the end of the three step process, the data base of inventoried
sites, together with the historical and architectural research
generated, is used to assess the Context Outlines in the Comprehensive
Plan. The results' of this survey are then used to recommend revisions
or refinements in the Comprehensive Planning document as may be
necessary in light of the new data from the survey. The process i.s one
of checks and balances. The Comprehensive Plan guides and sets up a - *-
framework for subsequent surveys. When completed, information from the
new surveys, in turn, is used to refine and add to the data base and
list of research questions in the Comprehensive Plan.
Methods
The historical and architectural survey of Stillwater, Minnesota, was
conducted under a contract signed in September, 1988. The study was
begun in September, 1988 and concluded in August, 1989. This section
details the pre-field research of the study and explains only in
general terms the actual field work.
Project Personnel:
The Historical Research, Inc. study team was composed of Dr. Norene A.
Roberts, Principal Investigator, and.Rhonda Evenson, subcontractor.
Norene Roberts was responsible for the background historical and
architectural research, field indentifieation, evaluation, final
report, and project administration. Rhonda conducted the pre-field
research (including gathering general histories and historical
photographs of the study area, initiating local contacts, and
coordinating legal descriptions with the Inventory forms), acted as -.
CO-field recorder, and did the initial in-depth research with more and
less assistance.
In terms of the Comprehensive Planning Process, the three-steps of
Identification, Evaluation, and Registration translated into the
following phases in the survey: pre-field research and' literature
search, field survey (recording and photographing sites) and contacting
local groups and individuals who assisted with site leads; post-field
evaluation and assessment of recorded sites, clerical tasks involving
affixing photographs to inventory forms, typing photograph log sheets,
and re-checking the information on the inventory sheets; and writing
the final report and recommendations. 1dentification.involved the
pre-field and field work. Evaluation involved the assessment and
evaluation of recorded sites. Registration involved the completion of
a National Register nomination.
Identification, pre-field work:
This phase, conducted in September, 1988, included a literature search
and records review of documents pertaining to the history of the city.
The need to do this was three-fold: to check against the Comprehensive
Plan, to use as background for a general historical overview of the
study area before going into the field, and to use as background for
assessing which inventoried properties might be eligible for nomination - --
to the National Register of Historic Places.
During the pre-field research, major collections in the Twin Cities
relating to the county were checked. Although not exhaustive,
information pertinent to the general history of Washington County and
Stillwater was gathered and selectively photocopied. Repositories '
searched included: the Library, Archives, and State Historic
Preservation Office files of the Minnesota Historical society; the
Crystal and Brooklyn Center branches of the Hennepin County Library
system, the Washington County Historical Society library, and the
Stillwater City Library (special collections on Stillwater in the
Minnesota Room).
. . During the Identification phase we relied heavily on several sources of
information, Most helpful were the collections in the Minnesota Room
of the Stillwater Public Library and the assistance of the librarian,
Sue Collins. Additional informational assistance was provided by the
members of the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission. Its
chairperson, Maurice Stenerson gave freely of his time during the
Identification phase and also assisted the contractor with help in
researching the Stillwater Gazette clippings files and photo morgue.
Ann Pung-Terwedo assisted with help in photocopying researchfiles in
the library, tracking down owners names and addresses, and checking and
rechecking legal descriptions. - .-
For each property surveyed, a Minnesota Inventory Form was filled out
and photographs were taken. On the field form was recorded a physical
description and any other information gleaned from the site inspection,
I
. ..-. *.: - ... -
_.. .-
such as alterations and general condition of the property.
Evaluation:
The post-field phase continued the process of Evaluation and resulted
in recommendations for additional work and for sites potentially
eligible to the National Register in a downtown district. The
surveyors came out of the field with Historic Inventory Forms and eight
rolls of photographs which form a more complete data base for the
city- These photos were used during the Evaluation phase to match the
historical research to current properties. In most cases, historical
photographs were found and photocopied for the file on each surveyed
property. Additional research led, in many cases, to a fairly complete
file on each property and to a history of physical changes and use.
The post-field phase was three-fold: 1) to judge the surveyed sites
against each other, 2) to evaluate the recorded sites against the .
general information known about property types and the integrity of -.
those types; and 3) to select the recorded properties which were
significant to this process for further research as candidates for
National Register nomination. Ultimately, the information from this
process was used in the National Register nomination for a commercial
district in downtown Stillwater.
The majority of the surveyed properties were researched in depth during
the course of this intensive survey. Site-specific information
uncovered during the Identification phase was matched to specific site
sheets. For example, the Tamarack Galleries building was recorded in
the field with its current name and use. Additional research uncovered
photographs and written information on the original date of
construction and use as the Division Headquarters for 'Northern States
power Company. This information and photocopies were entered into the
property file and recorded on the Inventory Form.
Another consideration during the Evaluation phase was that of integrity
of design and materials. Each recorded property was evaluated for
integrity and a determination.was made within the context of the period
of significance for the potential district. This era for downtown
Stillwater properties in 1860-1939. Each property was determined to be
either "contributingn or "non-contributing" to the significance of the
district. These sites were then mapped to determine the geographical
boundaries of the potential downtown conrmercial district. - -
At the end of this process, the contractors determined the properties
which clearly appeared to be eligible for National Register nomination
within the context of other sites recorded during the survey. The
staff of the Minnesota SHPO met with the surveyors and examined the
gathered information, draft report, and sites identified for possible
inclusion in the National Register district.
Registration:
Registration, the last phase of a National Register survey, involves
additional in-depth research on sites which are potentially eligible to
the National Register. Documentation on current ownership, dates of
construction, legal description, boundaries, and so forth are brought . .
together and.a nomination is prepared with accompanying documentation
(maps, colored slides, and black and white photos).
Expected Results
The results of the survey was to compile documentation for a local
commercial district and a National Register district nomination for an
undetermined number of properties. These properties will be
established within the St. Croix Triangle Lumbering 1830s-1900s or .
other contexts which may be established in light of the documentation - -
gathered.
The results of this survey may be used to recommend revisions or
refinements in the Stillwater Downtown Plan or the State's
Comprehensive Plan. It will also be a tool for the Stillwater Heritage
Preservation Commission in their efforts in reviewing, recommending,
and regulating historic sites in the City of Stillwater.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
DOWNTOGM STILLWATER, MINNESTOTA
The settlement of Stillwater began with Joseph Renshaw ~rown, who built
a house at the head of Lake St. Croix in 1838 of tamarack logs. In
1841, he took his family and the family of his sister, Mrs. Carli, . to
Tamarack House thereby establishing the nucleus of future Stillwater.
In the next year, Jacob Fisher, John McKusick, Elam Greeley, Elias
McKean, and Calvin Leach, all lumbermen, discussed a scheme for a
sawmill south of Brown's claim and .organized the Stillwater Lumber
Company, naming it for a town in McKusick's home state of Maine. The
mill was in operation by 1844, using water power from McKusick Lake via
a canal, down a ravine and flume where Mulberry Street is today, and on
to the mill and the River. In this space, the water dropped 150 feet
through the overshot mill wheel and on to the St. Croix River. 1
- .-
After this first mill went into operation, a small settlement arose.
It included the first hotel, built by Anson Northup, a livery, Socrates
Nelson's store and house, and Elam Greeley's house on Main Street, near
the corner of chestnutm2 By one account, Stillwater was little more
than a temporary camp in 1844:
AS a site for a town, the place seemed wholly undesirable, being
but a marshy, bowl-like enclosure, with high bluffs at the-back
slashed by several deep ravines and bordered on the east by an
unstable shore line which changed considerably with the seasonal
stage of the river. 3
The year 1848 gave real impetus to the budding settlement. There was
no less than a flood of immigration, as Wisconsin became astate and
the St. Croix-Mississippi River triangle was on the threshold of
.becoming Minnesota Territory. The season brought a flurry of building
activity.
New Buildings went up in a hurry. Streets were improved. The
quagmire of Main Street was rudely covered with mill slabs. Lying
about twelve feet lower than it is today, this street,was
completely flooded in times of high water. Consequently, homes and
business houses had to be built up on stilts and approached by
steps. . . . Cross streets could reach only to the hills' at the
west, and they were scarcely a block long. But in spite of such
limitations, the place began to lose its camp aspect and continued
to grow and improve, emerging fr m the cluster of crude cabins and
shanties of 1844 into' a village. 4
In 1846, Stillwater had become the county seat of St. Croix County,
Wisconsin. In 1849, it became the county seat of Washington County, .
Minnesota Territory. - .-
A calamity of nature did much to improve the village in 1852, when
water poured down the hills to the west carrying tons of earth into the
marshy hollow, tearing out roads, filling others, and giving people an
opportunity for constructive changes. Main Street was built up and the
riverfront was pushed back foot by foot until it parallels Main Street
today two blocks to the east. In the aftermath of the landslide,
clogged streets were excavated and others were rer~uted.~ The
material brought down by the rain-soaked bluffs was estimated to have
covered an area of six acres to a depth of 10 feet, including a portion
of the business area. 6
The Minnesota House, a stately Greek Revival structure set back on the
southwest corner of Main Street and Chestnut was built in 1846 and
remained a landmark for many years. There are no buildings in
Stillwater today dating from this period on Main street. However, the
1840s were a time of popularity for the Greek Revival style, and
several houses in the survey area appear to date from this era,
including the house at 114 E. Chestnut ($230), built in 1848-49, and
possibly another Greek Revival style house at 110 E. Myrtle Street
which may have been erected in the 1850s ($252).
The next boom came in the mid-l850s, a time of general prosperity in
Minnesota Territory. By 1855, Stillwater had 17 stores and shops and
by 1857 there were 38. Sidewalks' appeared along the major streets by
1857. This two year period saw the population increase from 1,000 to
2,500, and by 1857 there ware around 348 homes.7 The town was
incorporated by the Territorial Assembly in 1854. 8
The economy of Stillwater began to diversify very early. By the late
1850s and early 1860s, downtown Stillwater was supplying several large
lumber firms with a variety of goods and services: blacksmithing,
general merchandise stores, foundries and machine shops, and hardware
stores.
The earliest buildings downtown were wood frame with clapboard siding.
Stone and brick came later. Frederick Steinacker established the first
brick yard in the Ramsey and Carter Addition in 1859, manufacturing
200,000 brick annually, until he moved to Sunfish Lake in 1872 because
of an increase in businesse9 The first brick blocks downtown appear
to have been the Falen and the Eldrige, built in 1856 and 1857. 10
The first stone building in the city was the Sawyer Block, built in
11 1856. Stone,infact,was apopularbuildingmaterialin
Stillwater until at least the late 1870s and two stone quarries north
of town provided a ready source of this material. The stone Union
Block (#262-265), still standing, was built by three parties in .
1873-4.12 Joseph Wolf also built his brewery (#335) on S. Main of - .-
stone in 1872 and it, too is still standing. Some other buildings of
stone which are still standing downtown, either faced with stucco Or
brick or un-faced include: the Pacific Hotel ($259) at the southwest
corner of S. Main and E. Nelson, the building now housing Brines (1313)
at 219 S. Main, and many of the buildings on the west side of Main
between Chestnut and Myrtle (#274-278). ~nfortunatel~,'~dward D. Neil1
mentions many of these buildings by name in the 1881 History of
Washington County, but the names are lost to memory and the addresses
are unknown. Most of the earliest surviving downtown buildings are
these stone buildings, constructed between 1864-1875. They were
probably put up after the city established fire limits and called for a
hook and ladder company after a disasterous fire. The Stillwater
Messenger of February 13, 1867 announced that the city 'would no longer
permit wood buildings to be built in the area between the east side of
Second Street and the St, Croix River on the west and east, and from
200 feet north of Myrtle Street south to a line 565 feet south of the
south side of Chestnut Street, This area encompasses. most of the
retail portion of downtown Stillwater today.
Although the Civil War checked growth in Stillwater, the earliest
extant buildings downtown date from the boom brought on by a good crop
of grain and increased logging business in 1868, a year "unparallelled
by anything in the history of the city."13 The county constructed a
new courthouse in the south hill district the same year. -.
The post-war prosperity continued into the early 1870s. In 1870 and
1871, over 205 buildings were erected at a cost of over $788,000- 14 '
An important landmark on Main Street waserected during these years:
the Hersey-Staples Block, at the southeast corner of Main and Chestnut,
razed for construction of the Reed's Block (#315) in 1964.
To the downtown area was added a new street: Commercial Street at the
north end of Main. "Elyrtle Alley," was cut parallel to Main to connect
Commercial with Myrtle. Historically, Commercial Street became the
northern boundary of the solid brick business blocks along the west
side of N. Main.
The economy of Stillwater was a picture of health. s ever solely a
retail and distribution node for the surrounding agricultural area,
Stillwater had boiler makers, carriage manufacturers, dye works,
cooperages, boat builders, agricultural implement manufacturers,
foundries, flour mills, and lumber mills. These concerns were located
both north and south of the central business district and also along
the waterfront east of Water Street. The current core of the business
area today south of Commercial Street was the scene of a variety of
retail concerns: dry goods stores, clothiers, hardware concerns, drug
and jewelry stores, grocers, book sellers, confectioneries, cigar
stores, meat markets, and shoe stores.
-.
It is not until the early 1870s that we have photographs of the sweep
of downtown Stillwater. An 1874 photograph looking north over the town
and straight up Main Street shows a predominance of wood frame one and
two story buildings, often with front-facing gables. Main Street is a
dirt road and the sidewalks are wooden. A bird's-eye engraving of
Stillwater from 1870, published in The Republican, shows that the
growth was largely limited to S. Main extending north to Myrtle and
along Chestnut reaching almost to Second Street. Scattered industries
were located on North Main and manufacturers stretched along the
riverfront as well.
The coming of the railroads was one of the chief reasons for the growth
in downtown businesses, population, and construction. . Before 1871,
Stillwater relied on steamboats or supplies were brought overland by
dirt road from St. Paul. The Stillwater, Uhite Bear & St. Pa.+
Railroad completed a line from Stillwater to White Bear in December
1869 where it connected to the St. Paul & Duluth line, giving
Stillwater rail connections to St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth. This
railroad built its facilities just north of the foot of Myrtle Street
in 1869-71. The next railroad into Stillwater was the St. Paul,
Stillwater, & Taylor's Falls Railroad which reached Stillwater in 1872
with facilities south of what is now the Brick Alley on S. Main. The
railroads played a key role in the golden years of lumbering in .
15 Stillwater during the seventies, eighties, and nineties.
The decade of the 1880s was another period of prosperity which is still
reflected in the commercial district of downtown Stillwater. The city
renamed and renumbered its streets on August 3, 1881. Because the
first Sanborn Insurance Map for Stillwater was published in 1884, this
decade and subsequent ones are easier to piece together in studying the
physical growth of the downtown. Writing in 1944, Paul Caplazi
recalled :
Stillwater was a busy town in the eighties with all the saw mills
running, the boom, rafting ground, prison shops, three flour mills,
two breweries, liquor stores, about 25 saloons and all kinds of
other business and all the steam boats running on the St. Cr0ix.
The eighties were happy days for Stillwater.. It was a time
between the Civil War and the Spanish War. There,were no wars, no
strikes, no unemplygment, no trouble of any kind, everybody was
working and happy.
However, Caplazi also remembered that families had cows and a "herd
law" was finally passed around 1885 forbidding cows from running at
large,17 and that in the 1880s. Stillwater was also "hardboiled?
citing the many saloons on Main Street where the lumberjacks found
~P0rt.l~ In fact. the 1884 Sanborn map shows no less than eisht
saloons on the west side of S; Main Street in the block between Nelson
and Chestnut, all housed in narrow one-story wood-framed buildings.
Today, the only surviving wood-framed former saloon downtown is located
at 304 N. Main (#297). Saloons had virtually disappeared from the
downtown area by 1891. 19
To the visual character oE downtown Stillwater today the buildings
erected there in the 1880s and 1890s contribute substantially. The
1880s was a period of general prosperity in Minnesota as well as in
Stillwater. One of the largest and tallest buildings on South Main,
erected in 1880, was the Grand Opera House, at 301 S. Main where the
Simonets built their furniture store (#305) in 1904 after the Opera
28
House burned in 1902. With its three floors, two story tower,
complicated parapet, and richly detailed facade, the Opera House Was an
architectural and social landmark for over 20 years. Other 1880s
buildings in the downtown area fared better and are still standing: the
Jasso~ Block ($2121, built in 1886 at 200 N. Third; the brick residence
at 109 E. Myrtle ($253); the commercial block now hqusing Port of
Stillwater ($260) at 330 S. Main, built around 1885; the commercial
buildings at 214 and 224 S. Main (#269, $270) ; the Tepass Block ($281)
at 223 E. Chestnut, built in 1885 and named after Hermann Tepass,
Stillwater's first brewer; the McKusick Block ($282) at the northwest
corner of Myrtle and Main, built in 1880; the Excelsior Block ($286) at
118-126 N. Main, built on the southwest corner of Main and Commercial
in 1882; the current Eagles Club building (#310) at 227 S. Main; the
First National Bank Building ($313) at 215 S. Main, built in 1888; the
Brunswick Block ($314) at 209-211 S. Main; the Mosier Block ($317 at
129 S. Main; the J. Karst Block ($319) at 125 S. Main; and the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul passenger and freight depot ($3291, now the
Freight House restaurant, built in 1883 at 239-305 S. Water Street. - .~
By 1888, perhaps only twenty per cent of the business blocks on Main
Street were wood-framed structures and new business blocks could be
found south to Nelson on the west side of Main and along Second Street
between Chestnut and Myrtle. Commercial Street was still the effective
north end of the retail district on N. Main, save for the brick block
now housing Wrap N' Ship (8290) which had been constructed at 212 NO
Main Street ca. '1888-1891.
Clearly, the 1880s made an indelible mark on the downtown area and many
of the buildings erected then still stand, especially on Main Street-
East Chestnut did not fare as well in the long run. Comparison of the
1884 and 1888 Sanborn maps record the story of building progress in the
downtown district. In 1884, almost half of the downtown was still
\
composed of wood-frame structures, none more than two stories tall-
Old photos show that many were front-facing gabled and others were
Boomtown style with false parapets hiding gabled roofs behind them. At
that time, the downtown retail area .was concentrated between Nelson
Alley north to Commercial Street on the west side of Main, with the new
Excelsior Block (8286) holding down the north end, and from Nelson to
lfyrtle on the east side of Main. The major east-west cross street Was
E. Chestnut from Water Street on the east to Second Street on the
west.
-.
New city government buildings were erected during the 1880s on Third
Street north of the Myrtle intersection at the edge of where the
commercial district met the residential district. The decision to
locate city offices off Main Street may have had as much to do with the
price of and demand for land along Main as with the need for the retail
and commercial area to remain close to the freight depots and spur
tracks clustered along Water Street. The City of Stillwater built a
new two story brick city hall in 1882 at the northwest corner of Third
and Myrtle. In 1884, it stood just east of the city-built wood-framed
Company K Armory Hall which faced south on Myrtle Street. By 1888,
there were two wood frame city storage buildings and a brick "lock UP"
or jail at the rear of the city hall between it and the armory. The
city also erected a large two story brick fire hall in 1887. Today,
these parcels have been taken up by the new U. S. Post Office, built in
1967 (8204). Two doors north of the new fire hall, the city erected
the Third Street Pump Station (8203) which was sandwiched between
Trinity Lutheran Church on the south and Ascension Episcopal Church on
the north. These improvements may have influenced the erection of the
Jassoy Block ($212). put up in 1886 -at the southwest corner of Third
and Chestnut. This large three story Queen Anne structure with
elaborate metal parapet had a third story hall for social occasions.
Over the years, the City of Stillwater has retained the area around
Third Street and Myrtle for most of its governmental buildings. A
block away at Fourth and Mulberry, the Carnegie Library-was erected in
1902 (8200). During the 'teens, a study done by the Minnesota
landscape firm, Morel1 and Nichols, suggested that this area.be
retained for city functions. Based on their recommendations, the new
Stillwater Armory ($227) was built at the southeast corner of Chestnut
and Third in 1921-22. The Federal Government located its 1903 Post
Office ($225) at the northeast corner of Myrtle and Second Street. The
new replacement post office (#204) was built in 1967 on the site of the
old city hall at the northwest corner of Myrtle and Third.
The decade of the 1890s was interrupted by the Panic of 1893, a general
national depression which dampened building activity in cities and
towns throughout Minnesota. Established businesses recovered within
two or three years, but speculators and developers were reluctant to
construct new buildings. The two most important buildings to be put up
in downtown Stillwater in 1890 were the Staples Block ($320) at 119 S*
Main and the Lumbermen's Exchange Building (#328) on the northeast
corner of S. Water Street and Chestnut. Both are associated with
lumbering activity in Stillwater and the St. Croix triangle. The
Staples Block was a prominent .three story red brick structure in
Classical Revival style. The Lumbermen's Exchange Building was the
first modern business block in the city, equipped with modern heating,
plumbing, electricity and even an elevator. It was built just south of
the Union Depot, the Shingle style station designed by Cass Gilbert in
1887. Both buildings were put up by the Union Depot and Transfer -.
Company. The two buildings were connected by a wooden platform. Early
tenants included the largest and most successful lumbering concerns in
the city, as well as the post office and the Surveyor General's
office. 20
Sanborn Insurance Maps from 1891 and 1898 indicate th'at little serious
3 2
construction occurred on Main Street during the decade. Only a few of
the older wood frame survivors on Main Street were replaced and the
commercial area downtown had essentially spread to its current
boundaries. Those Main Street commercial building which were erected
were generally modest one or two story masonry structures, such as
those at 223 S. Main (#308), 212 N. Main (#290), and 226 S. Main
(P268). Five frame buildings on the east side of S. ~ain between
Chestnut and Myrtle which contained a grocery, saloon, pawnbroker,
barbershop, and two small retail stores were replaced, but this
constituted brick infill and completion of the streetscape. A small
commercial node also expanded around the intersection of Chestnut and
Second Street. Interestingly, the heyday and peak years of the lumber
industry in Stillwater, 1890-1910, had little direct effect on the
commercial and retail area of downtown Stillwater.
BY 1900, Stillwater had four railroads and its industries and lumbering
operations were going strong. However, the buildings which give .
downtown Stillwater its character were largely completed by then. At -.
the turn-of-the-century, the handsome new additions to the downtown
were the Carnegie Library (#200) on N. Fourth, really the edge of
downtown, and the new Post Office on Myrtle (#225). Both were taken
from Classical Revival designs popular during this time. The library
was designed by the Chicago firm of Patton and Miller. The post office
gained its first permanent home and moved in from the'lumbermen's
Exchange Building where it had been leasing quarters since 1890. The
Stillwater Post Office was designed under the administration of
Supervising Architect oE the Treasury James Knox Taylor and is one of
several remaining Taylor-designed post offices in Minnesota, no doubt a
testament to the importance of Stillwater in the opening years of this
century.
Three other important buildings to go up in Stillwater in 1905, were
. .
the Stillwater Gazette building (#219) at the southwest corner of
Myrtle and Second Street; the Connolly Shoe Company Building ($223)
forerunner of Connco Shoes; and the First National Bank building (#234)
at 213 E. Chestnut. All three were inspired by the Classical Revival
style. The first two are red .brick structures and the bank is faced in
cut limestone block. The location of the Connolly building at the
corner of Commercial Street is consistent with the light industry
character of N. Main and the area north of Commercial. The Auditorium
Building, begun in 1903 and dedicated in 1905, was .erected at 215 .S..
Second Street. It too was a Classical Revival style building with huge -.
round arched windows on the second story forming an arcade.
Minneapolis architect F. U. Kenny did the design. The Auditorium
Building was demolished in 1976 to make way for the 1977 addition to
the First National Bank.
Along Main Street itself, the largest addition to the east side was the
Sirnonet Furniture and Carpet Company building (P305) between Nelson and
Chestnut streets. This building was erected in 1904 after a fire
destroyed the Grand Opera House on the same site. At the southeast
corner of downtown along the east side of S. Main the buildings known
today as the Brick Alley ($334) were put up in 1904 and 1907 by the
Stillwater Gas and Electric Company and Consumers Electric, a
forerunner of Northern States Power Company. The one 'story brick
buildings at the southwest corner of Main and Chestnut now housing
Sherburne's Jewelers, Estelle's and Mainstreet Eair Design (#271, 272,
273) were modest ca. 1898-1904 additions to this important
intersection.
The commercial area of downtown Stillwater indirectly reElects the rise
and fall of business fortunes in lumbering and manufacturing, the chief
industries which created the thriving city. Businesses in the historic
downtown buildings were supported by the thousands of men who worked in
the city's industries. In 1880, Stillwater boasted a population of
close to 16,000. By 1920, the population was less than half of its - -
peak 40 years before. And by the 1940s, it had dropped to a low of
around 7,000. The year 1920 is generally taken as the end of the white
pine industry in ~innesota. Stillwater, however, began to feel the
decline in the lumbering business around 1900-1910.
Never only a lumbering town, it also suffered a decline in
manufacturing, an important local industry which provided significant
jobs to year-around residents. Less well known is the significant role
that agricultural implement concerns played in the local economy for 50
years beginning around 1880. The huge Seymore, Sabin & Company complex
located on and near the old Prison grounds on North Main was organized
in the 1860s. By the mid-l870s, it was sending threshers and other
agricultural machinery by rail to wheat lands opening in western
Minnesota. In 1882, Sabin organized the Northwestern Manufacturing and
Car Company which became the largest'corporation in the state. The
excellent rail connections to Stillwater was the life's blood of this
huge concern. Northwestern manufacured sashes and doors, flour
barrels, and other millwork, threshers, and added a line of farm
machinery as well as freight and passenger cars. By the 1880~~ this
concern alone provided a livelihood for over 1,200 employees and used
other labor drawn from the state prison population. Northwestern Car
Company went out of business in 1888, a year after the state
legislature passed a law which effectively deprived the company 0f.it.s
cheap prison labor. Its facilities on the east side of N. Main passed - --
to the Minnesota Thresher IIanufacturing Company, which used the
facilities until 1902. These businesses served to diversify the
Stillwater economy and made the name of Stillwater famous throughout
the upper midwest and as far away as Canada and Mexico.
By 1916, the successors of these manufacturing companies had gone
bankrupt. The lumbering business was in eclipse. The Twin City Forge
and Foundry Company was born. The "Forge" made munitions during World
War I, and thereafter, casings, but it ceased operations on N. Main in
1930.~' Stillwater was deprived of most of its economic base.
People moved on to other jobs, population declined, and the riverfront,
so thriving for 80 years, went into decline.
The buildings from the 1860s, 1870s, 1880s. and 1890s in the downtown
undoubtedly survived because Stillwater became something of a backwater
during the period from 1910-1970. The changes to the commercial area
came largely from some fires and occassional alterations to the retail
buildings, especially to storefronts, Armed with the Morrell and
Nichols plan for the downtown,. the city continued to clean up the
riverfront and established Lowell Park and the municipal pavillion
(8325). Major work was done along the riverfront in 1913-16. Older
wood frame buildings were removed and the pavillion and a concrete
levee were constructed around 1916. The old tracks and trestles of the
micago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha line were removed - .- in 1935.
4
More buildings were torn down along the riverfront in 1946 after World
War 11. 22
The city hired Oscar T. an^,^^ a well-known Minneapolis architect to
build the new Stillwater Armory (4227) in 1921-22. The wood framed
Sawyer House, a Stillwater landmark at the northwest corner of N.
Second Street and Myrtle, was torn down and the new Lowell Inn ($221)
took its place in 1926-27, continuing a long tradition of hospitality
at this intersection. The Lowell Inn was designed by another Twin
Cities architect, William Ingemann. 24
The north end of Main Street continued to accommodate light
manufacturing and industry. The Foot-Schulze Shoe Company erected a
factory at 242 N. Main in the building housing Johnny's TV Sales and
Service ($295) sometime between 1910-1924. In the mid-20s or 30s, the
St. Croix Ringer Company moved into their new building at 270 N. Main.
This building currently houses Staples Mill Antiques (#296). Sometime
after 1924, the Ajax Fence Works, manufacturers of woven wire fencing,
left the east side of N. Main north of Commercial Street. It its place
was built the Stillwater Market Creamery, now known as the Maple Island
Farm Dairies, Inc. complex (#301).
- .-
South Main Street experienced several notable changes in the yegrs
after 1910. The Joseph Wolf Company built its Craftsman-style two
Story commercial building on the southwest corner of Main and Myrtle in
1911. Then sometime in the 1930s, the stone-faced St. Croix Drug
Company building (#274) on the northwest corner of Main and Chestnut
was altered when the south half of its stone facade was covered in
Stucco. At the southernmost end of S. Main, several other changes
occurred. A pre-1884 clapboard-sided structure with a front-facing
gable sat at the northeast corner of Main and Nelson. For years, it
had housed a furniture operation. By 1910 it was dilapidated and
vacant. It its place, the Smithson Paper Box Cornany erected a fine new
two story brick building (8302) and hired some 20 employees. A fire
destroyed two older buildings at the northwest corner of Main and
Olive. In its place in 1927, Northern States Power Company put up the
brick structure now housing the Tamarack Galleries (8266). In 1924,
the Stillwater Motor Company built a handsome two story Craftsman-style
brick garage and showroom where the Grand Garage (8261) stands today.
This firm was the leading seller of automobiles in Washington County in
1929 and their headquarters on. S. Main had to be expanded in 1926 to
accommodate the volume of business in Buicks and Chevrolets. 25
Although some structural parts of the west end of this building remain
today, it has been largely demolished since 1973 for the current Grand
Garage complex.
- -
The Stillwater infrastructure and civic improvements to streets,
sidewalks and lighting can be pieced together from historic
photographs. Early photos of downtown Stillwater show wooden sidewalks
and streets by turn muddy or dusty. Streetscapes from the 1890s show
Main Street as a dirt road, but with stone curbs and sidewalks. By
1899, Main Street sported tall telephone poles at each block and the
downtown streets had pavers of wood or brick. The set-back in the
principal thoroughfares has always been the width of the sidewalks,
providing no room for boulevard trees or other accouterments--known
today as "street furniture." By 1928, the telephone poles flanking
Main Street had been removed to more discrete locations at the rear of
the buildings. Electrical street lights first appeared on Main Street
in 1927. These first street lights were cast iron with fluted columns
and opaque globes. They were replaced by tall new lights similar to
the present ones in December 1957 by NSP. 2 6
Old photographs by John Runk, a local photographer, and others indicate
that downtown owners began to look at stucco as a way to update their
older building stock during the years 1930-1975. The north half of the
St. Croix Drug Company building (#274) was not stuccoed until the
1970s. when the remaining classical window openings on the second story
were partially bricked in. The ca. 1872 stone Pacific Hotel (#259) at
the southwest corner of Main and Nelson was not stuccoed until after
1924. It houses the north end of Vittorio's today. The middle of the - -
Union Block housing The Mordsmith ($263) is another early ca. 1873-74
stone building which has suffered from a new stucco face-lift.
J
Fire has been responsible for some of the replacement buildings on SO
Main. These include the structures at: 232 S. Main (#267, now Booley's
TV and Appliance) which was built: after a 1942-43 fire; 226 S. Main
(0268, now Stillwater- Pet and Supply Company), substantially rebuilt in
1942-43 after the same fire; and the building at 241 S. Main (P306 now
housing the Silver Lake Restaurant), which is a 1951 replacement for a
1907 pressed metal building which was destroyed by fire.
The late 'teens-1940s saw a wave of demolition along.the riverfront
which substantially improved the appearance and health of downtown.
The next wave of demolition did not occur until the 1960s. Some
notable buildings were lost as a result, but demolition was occurring
all over the United States at this time and Stillwater was no
exception. The most tragic loss was that of the Union Station on South
Hater Street in 1960. From an arch5tectural standpoint this was easily
the most impressive remaining'depot in Minnesota. The depot was closed
in 1954 and briefly occupied by a company who made capacitors for
radios and televisions. 27 Another early pre-1884 three story
brick-faced building to go was located at the southeast corner of S.
Main and Chestnut. Adjacent to the east, the Green Block facing north
on Chestnut was also demolished. These two buildins wete replaced by
the Reed's Block (P315) in 1965. Another great loss on S. Main was the
Hersey h Staples Block built in 1871 on the southeast corner of Main
and Myrtle which came down to make room for the Cosmopolitan State Bank
in 1967.
In recent years, the construction of two new banks in stillwater has
been the occasion for demolishing several other important early
business blocks downtown west of Main in the area of Chestnut Street
and Second Street. When Washington Federal Bank (8235) was built in
1965, it took older buildings on the north side of Chestnut between
Second and Union streets. Demolished for this project were the two
three story brick buildings known as the Torinus Block and the Mower
Block, both built in 1886, as well as a three story brick building
facing west on Second, built in 1904, which had housed the Kolliner
Brothers & Newman Company. 28
The First National Bank on the south side of Chestnut ($234) decided to
expand in the mid-1970s. To make way for the 1977 addition to the bank
facing Second Street, substantial commercial blocks were demolished.
Facing Chestnut south of and adjacent to the bank, was a two story
commercial block at 209 Chestnut which was razed in 1976. At the same
time, the large three story Stillwater Auditorium building facing west
on Second Street and built in 1904-05 was torn down.
- .-
In the last decade, Stillwater has begun to become more interested in
preservation. Commerical activity has picked up considerably in the
last 20 years as Stillwater has seen a boom in population growth and
commercial activity downtown. Before the last large concentration of
old buildings around Second and Chestnut was demolished, a local car
dealer, Jerry Perkl, recognized the commercial potential in the
42
downtown area. In 1970-73, he began to transform the 1924 Stillwater
Motors Company building into the Grand Garage (02611, a ~0lleCtion of
specialty shops with architectural detailing salvaged from other old
buildings around the region. As work progressed, the architectural
integrity of the original Stillwater Motors building was utterly lost.
But this project started a commercial renaissance which continues to
this day.
A block north of Perkl's project, the NSP offices in Stillwater (0266)
on South Main were transformed into the Tamarack Galleries by the
Turnbladhfamily in 1973. A state "Metro '73" study included surveying
and photographing some of the older buildings downtown. Tnese
photographs and site forms are in the state historic preservation
office at Fort Snelling, part of the Minnesota Historical Society. In
the early 1970s, Rivertown Restorations, Inc. was formed and did a
photographic survey of part of Stillwater in 1976-78. The original
purpose of this group was to provide a public forum for those
interested in coordinating and, in some cases, preserving the built - .-
environment in the city. Around 1976, the city wrote an ordinance
which formed the Heritage Preservation Commission. This original
commission was composed of members of the Washington County Historical
Society and the Planning Commission. Tom Blank rehabilitated the last
freight depot (1329) along the riverfront converting it to a
restaurant. It was placed on the National Register in July 1977. Mike
.. ...
McGuire, a local architect, rehabilitated the old gas plant and
substation owned by NSP (8334) and turned it into a complex of shops
and restaurants between 1979-81 renaming it the Brick Alley.
Several commercial and governmental buildings in Stillwater are on the
National Register today. The Washington County Courthouse, one of the
oldest in the state, went on the National Register in 1971. The 1853
stone-built Warden's House (8241) on N. Main which was part of the
Territorial Prison was listed in 1974. The St. Croix Lumber Mills
complex (8246) on N. Main is also listed. Most recently, the metal
truss lift bridge (8322) built in 1930 over the St. Croix passed the
State Review Board this year and was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places on May 25, 1989.
The City oE Stillwater rehabilitated the Lowell Park Pavillion (t325)
at the foot of llyrtle Street in 1984 and refurbished the park itself-
The Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission was re-organized after
the city rewrote the ordinance. Members oE the Commission since around - -
1986 have been chosen from the general public and this body is advisory
to the Planning Commission and, ultimately, to the City Council. .This
body, which is charged with planning, identifying, and overseeing
historic properties in the city received Certified Local Government
status from the State oE Minnesota in January 1988, which will allow it
to obtain outside funds for future planning and survey work
throughout the city. 29
With the completion of the Stillwater Historic Commercial District , the
owners of downtown contributing buildings in the district will be
eligible to rehabilitate their buildings and gain a 20% investment tax
credit in the process. These buildings have to be income-producing and
the tax credit is available for those properties contributing in the
. . commercial district whose owners do substantial certified historic
rehabilitations according to the regulations of the Secretary of'.the
Interior, National Park Service. Additional information on this
process is available from the city planning office and the State
Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) at. the Ft. Snelling History Center,
Minnesota Historical Society, St.. Paul, MN 55111, (612) 726-1171.
RESULTS
The following is a discussion of the findings in each',of the three
survey phases (identification, evaluation, and registration) .
Identification:
The bulk of the Identification phase took place in September and
October, 1988, when pre-field work (literature and records searches)
and field recording and photography were completed on the original
study area. In April, 1989, the Contractor and City Planning Office
decided to include additional area on the east side of Water Street to
the St. Croix River. The Contractor had studied this area intensively
in 1985 on a Section 106 project for the St. Paul District Corps of
Engineers. The field work was done in April, 1989 on the additional - -
eleven sites in this area. In June, 1989, after a discussion about the
Joseph Wolf Brewery National Register nomination with Dennis Gimmestad,
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, two additional properties
at the back (west) end of the site were field recorded and
photographed.
In all, 140 properties were Identified in the approximately 64-acre
study area shown on Map 2 in the 1ntroduct;ion to this report* It was
later found that two sites were additions to sites already recorded-
Therefore, the final tally of properties identified was 138.
Evaluation :
The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office is in need of
establishing a historic context for urban areas. At present it does
not have one. The current study of downtown Stillwater found the
developed historic context "St. Croix Triangle Lumberingn of little use
in evaluating the property types.in the central business district.
This was true for several reasons:
1) The general time period, 1870-1930 for this context is broad
enough to apply to many other Minnesota towns outside the St. Croix
Triangle. This period spans the years when buildings are likely to
survive in virtually any but the most northern Minnesota cities. - --
2) The major themes associated with this context (logging,
lumbering, cutover agriculture, and conservation) are more
applicable to rural areas and property types such 8s boom sites, ,
lumber mills, post-1900 farmsteads, and lumber camps. The City of
Stillwater has none of these property types in the central business
district.
3) In this historic context mention is made of communities which
developed as supply bases for area logging operations. itki kin,
Minnesota is given as an example of a supply base for northern
Minnesota. Stillwater certainly functioned as a supply base for
early lumbering concerns especially after connected by rail to
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth in 1870 and until the end of the
lumbering era around 1910.
However, many buildings in downtown Stillwater were built before
street and building addresses and the original businesses in them
or original functions are unknown In addition, some properties
which may have contributed supplies to the lumber industry were
located outside the study area and never were located in the retail
portion of downtown. Finally, Stillwater had an enormous
industrial and manufacturing base for a city its size in the
nineteenth century. In 1882, it had the largest corporation in the
State of Minnesota, the manufacturer of threshers and other
agricultural implements as well as railroad cars. The historic '
context on lumbering is not useful in light of the-difficulty of
sorting out whether the properties identified were built because of
a thriving lumbering base or a thriving industrial and
manufacturing base. Without business records, it is also difficult
to tell if smaller secondary businesses like blacksmith shops and
foundries were associated with lumbering or manufacturing.
Instead of using St. Croix Triangle Lumbering as a historic context to
evaluate the identified properties, we developed a historical overview
of settlement and development of commercial downtown Stillwater which
was used as the historic context to evaluate the properties for
contributing and non-contributing status. This overview is found
elsewhere in this report. It has a local level of significance which
is reflected in the local level of significance in the Historic
Commercial District nomination we prepared.
Remaining historic resources in downtown Stillwater do reflect some
regional economic trends found in other cities in the state. For
example, like older Minnesota cities, Stillwater had a building boom in
the mid-1860s following the Civil War and extending into the early
1870s. In Stillwater some prominent commercial buildings from this
period survive. Also like other cities in the region, the 1880s was
another period of prosperity which was followed by a relative
depression caused by the Panic of 1893, followed by an up tick in
'
building at the turn-of-the-century, followed by a relatively small
period of modest prosperity in the 1920s. Like Crookston, Owatonna,
and Albert Lea, to name a few, Stillwater had a construction boom in
the 1880s lasting into the early 1890s, another building boom during
the years 1902-1911 during which prominent Beaux Arts structures were
put up, and a modest flurry of new construction downtown in the
mid-1920s. Demolition in downtown Stillwater during the 1960s. a
period of national urban renewal, follows what was happening nationally
as well. This is when Stillwater lost the union Depot on the
riverfront.
The property types identified during this study do not differ from
those commonly found in any other urban area in cities of the same
size. They include:
churches
commercial buildings
railroad structures
parks
utility buildings
hotels
automobile buildings
restaurants
laundries
vacant & parking lots
bridges
commemorative markers
creameries
municipal buildings
federal buildings
industrial and manufacturing buildings
banks
entertainment buildings
housing (single and multiple)
office buildings
gas stations
barbershops
fraternal buildings
grain elevators
professional buildings
The property type we expected to find in an urban area was schools, but
none were located in our study area.
- --
Because of its particular but not necessarily unique history and age,
the following property types were also identified:
Territorial Prison buildings
sawmills
an early saloon
a brewery
. The question of infegtity also entered into the Evaluation phase.
Integrity was a major consideration in deciding- which properties were
contributing and which were not within the boundaries of the district.
All storefronts had been altered, so this was not a deciding factor.
Once we filed the 200 some historic photos in the appropriate site
files and became Eamiliar with the historic appearance of streetscapes
at different periods of time, we had a good idea of whether the
buildings adequately reflected the period of significance 1860-1940 of
the district as a whole. If the second.story facade was relatively . .
intact, as it was in most cases, and if original masonry openings had
been retained, these buildings were considered contributing. This was
true even if the original metal cornice or parapet had been removed and
replacement windows had been installed in original masonry openings, as
long as the original brick or stone walls remained. visible. If a
building had little original fabric, new windows and openings,
storefront alterations, and new parapet, it was non-contributing*
Registration:
The object of this study was to conduct an intensive survey of the
entire commercial area of downtown Stillwater (Map 2) and gather
I sufficient information to write a National Register district
nodnation. Map 3 shows the,:boundades of thk'stillwater Historic : . . . . . . . .._. . .- ,. ................. -.
I ~ommercikl District. This district contains 63 cont&ibuting . . - ... _ .__ _ . ... .
. properties, ,18 nonkontributing ones, and one National Register
property: the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul passenger and freight depot
(Site 33291, for a total of 82 properties in the district.
ihe following is the list of properties recornended for inclusion in
the Stillwater Historic Commercial District:
-
Site # Name -
S. Main St., west side (south to north):
257 Joseph Wolf Office .
335 Joseph Wolf Brewery building
258 infill
259 Pacific Hotel
260 Port of 'Stillwater ,
26 1 Grand Garage
26 2 Union Block
26 3 Union .Block
264 Union Block
265 Union Block
266 N.S.P. Division Office
267 Hooley's TV and Appliance
268 Stillwater Pet and Supply
269 Mad Capper
270 Martins
271. Sherburne's Jewelers
272 Estelle ' s
273 . Mainstreet Hair Design
274 St. Croix Rexall Drugs
275 Mainstreet Square
276 J. Karst Block
277 Tradewind Travel, Silver Photo
278 Meg's Cafe, apartments
279 Joseph Wolf Building
282 McKusick Block
28 4 Cat Ballou ' s
285 Stillwater Book & Stationery
28 6 Excelsior Block -.:. ............ . . . -. . .. -... .C
Status
... . . - - ...._. _. . - -.---.- . - - -'LA 'C. 2--- :
..Z.. -
S. Main, east side (south to north):
302 Snithson Paper Box Company C . 303 Fancy'Nancy9s Jewelry C
304 Barbara AM'S NC
305 Sirnonet's Furniture and Carpet Co. Bldg. C
306 Silver Lake Restaurant NC
307 vacant lot NC
308 The Village II C
309 The Village C
310 Eagles Club C
311 The Outfitters C
312 Brines C
3 13 First National Bank Building C
3 14 Brunswick Block C
3 15 Reed's Block NC
3 17 Mosier Block C
3 18 Jarchow & York Block C
319 J. Karst Block C
3 20 Staples Block C
321 Cosmopolitan State Bank NC
\
Buildings/ sites south of Water Street
329 .. C, M, & St. P. passenger and freight
. 331 city restrooms and lift station
325 Lowell Park, levee, and ' pavillion'
3 28 Lumbermen's Exchange Building
3 27 Hooley ' s Market
E. Chestnut, south side .
227 Stillwater horv -
214 Stillwater Laundry, Inc.
23 4 Firs t National Bank Building
281 Tepass Block
280 Smitty's barbershop
depot
E. Chestnut, north side
236 Kalinof f Block
237 St. Croix Cards b Gifts
316 . Foxy's/ Show Repair
3 24 vacant lot
on NRHP
NC
C (3 sites)
C
NC
,E* Myrtle, south side
251 . . . ... .... ..... ...........-.. ?eMnd8+ye , ..: ..--..--.-, ~..~,.;,,,,., . C . . . : ... ....... ......... ,
E. Myrtle, north side
225 FederaltBuilding/ Post Office -
250 vacant lot
249 residence/office
E. Nelson Street, south side:
336 barn/ and storage building
337 dwelling/ storage building
Union Street, east side:
28 3 commercial building
248 ~ommunity ~olunteeT services
3 38 vacant lot
Second Street, east side
233 duplex
224 H. C. Farmer Rock Garden and Fountain
223 Connolly Shoe Company Building
Second Street, west side
219 Stillwater Gazette Building
221 Lowell Inn
Third Street, west side
212 Jassoy Block
C (2 sites)
C
he following recommendations are made to both the Minnesota Historical
Society and .the 'City of Stillwater. This task is easy beicause both do
an excellent.job and are well-aware of the challenges and problems in
preserving the history and the built environment in the .Stillwater
central business district.
1. The most pressing problem and largest threat to the historic
buildings in downtown Stillwater is the constant and steady through
traffic on S. Main Street and across the Trunk Highway 212 bridge
between Minnesota and Wisconsin. A majority of the buildings along
Main Street in the potential Historic Commercial District were built
during the 1860s. 1870s. and 1880s. The large semi-tractor-trailers
rumbling through the downtown are a danger to the older stone and brick
buildings over 100 years old, some of which are leaning against their
neighbors .
The land under these buildings down some 10-15 feet is fill from the
1852 landslide. The area is in a floodplain and the floods of 1944,
1965, and 1982 contribute to endangering the structural integrity of '
the old c~mmercial buildings in the area. The incessant traffic and
vibrations may be compounding the problem. -.
MnDOT should be made aware that this situation is endangering the.
historic buildings on S. Main. Under Section 106 of the Historic.
Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, this agency is charged with the
responsibility of insuring the protection of historic resources in any
undertaking involving ' federal funds ; in this case, federal highway
funds. MnDOT should conduct a Section 106 structural study of the
vibrational impact of existing heavy and constant traffic on the . .
historic resources of downtown Stillwater. Such a study should include
a the damage that exhaust from vehicles stalled at stoplights along S*
Main Street might be causing to the early stone and brick .facades of .
RECOMMENDATIONS
the buildings, most over 100 years old, along S. Main Street north to
Chestnut Street. The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office,
Minnesota Historical Society, should be consulted in this process.
Aesthetically, the heavy through traffic on S. Main to..Chestnut Street
'is adversely effecting the potential Stillwater Historic Commercial
District. The central business district is very congested. Tourists
and older citizens who leisurely cross Main Street on traffic lights
become confused when the lights change. The set-back of historic .
buildings from the curb is the width of narrow sidewalks along Main.
Pedestrians are assaulted and endangered downtown.
Having spent a year downtown conducting our study while observing and
contending with this traffic situation, we recommend that the states of
Hinnesota and Wisconsin build a by-pass route and new bridge south of
the Stillwater central business district for through traffic crossing
the St. Croix River.
2. The City of Stillwater and the Comnissionets of Washington County
should recommend the proposal for a new bridge across the St. Croix as
a way of enhancing the historic ambience and financial health of,
downtown Stillwater, and the convenience of those travelling between
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
3 MnDOT and the State of Wisconsin .shodld also conduct an engineering
study on the structural impact of current heavy traffic on the hist~ric
lift bridge across the St. Croix at the foot of Chestnut. This-bridge
is the last surviving ope;able camel-back lift bridge in Minnesota. It
is now 59 years old and one of the most heavily-used bridges in the
state. The National Register nodnation on this bridge passed the
State Review Board in Minnesota this year and a National Register
nomination is pending in Washington. Now is the time, if it has not
already been done, to assess the impact of traffic on this historic
structure as mandated by Section 106.
4. The September 1988 Stillwater Downtown Plan, Section 111.5.. under
Design Guidelines, states that "the height of new buildings shall
conform to the average height of buildings OIJ -the block street face,".
but goes on to suggest that new buildings should be four stories and 50
feet maximum. This is not consonant with our study. Four story
buildings are the exception historically. Within the boundaries of the
potential Stillwater Historic ~om&rcial District, the Stillwater R'E'C
may want to consider our findings. The norm and the preponderance of
historic buildings in the potential district are 2 or 3 stories tall-
Historically, buildings in the district, back to the 1860s
have been built in increments of 25, 50, 75, or 100 feet wide. -Any of
these widths would conform to the historic widths of previous
construction. However, the norm is 25 feet widths with significant 50
foot widths for larger nore dominant structures and even an'occasional
75 foot width.
5. The same s'ection oE the Stillwater Downtown Plan suggests that, .In
general, it is expected that buildings will be restored to their - - - - original appearance." The plan goes on to state qualifica.tions that
sometimes alterations can be significant in their own right and that
all buildings should be treated as products of their time. As a whole,
the period of significance for the district is 1860-1940. Contributing
buildings in the district each have a different period of significance.
The National Park Service does not require that a structure be
."restoredn and certainly not necessarily to "original appearance.' An
illustration~of this is the building at 108-112 S. Hain which houses
Meg's Cafe (Site 4278). This is a pre-1884 building which was totally
refaced some time after 1913. The 1913 facade is now significant in
its own right.
This raises several design guideline considerations for the Stillwater
HPC within the potential historic commercial district:
<.
a) Stucco has been applied to historic storefronts since at least
the 1930s. We recommend that this be discouraged. Depending on
how it has been applied, it either damages the original fabric or
can be peeled off in a historic certified rehabilitation. It
depends on whether it has been applied directly to the original
stone or brick or lathed on like a second skin. The difference
should be made clear to property owners downtown.
b) There is a trend in the CBD on older buildings to shutter the
second story windows on commercial blocks. This introduces
inappropriate associations to the downtown. Shutters, fixed or
operable, are inconsistent with the prevailing architectural styles
of the buildings constructed between the 1860s-1940. The Greek
Revival style blocks downtown are gone and with the remaining
styles (Italianate, Richardsonian, Queen Anne, Classical Revival,
Craftsman style, and early 20th century commercial) shutters are
inappropriate.
C) Retaining the original configurations of second story masonry
window openings on historic buildings should be strongly
encouraged. It is understandable that property owners may want to
lower internal second story ceilings and lower second story windows
with masonry or wood infill, but this does more to damage existing
architectural integrity than many egregious storefront
alterations.
d) The recent tendency in ~tillwate; is to put up barrel-style
awnings over some'windows. This practice is ahistorical and
detracts from and masks the original fabric of historical windows.
The Minneapolis HPC adopted an awning guideline after studying
historic photos of streetscapes in their historic commercial
areas. This document is available from Minneapolig City Planner
Beth Bartz. The Stillvater BPC may want to review this document and
the historic photos gathered during this present study as background to
designing an awnirig regulation in the potential Historic Comercial
District.
e) Architecturally designed "street furniture" will be
inconsistent with.the historical appearance in the potential
commercial district. The sidewalks are narrow and give little
opportunity for such accouterments, which are not in keeping with
. the uses and appearance of the downtoyn CBD.
f) According to the National Register regulations on intensive
surveys, we were not required to delve into what may be original
fabric behind applied materials on the storefronts of commercial
buildings we. surveyed. If historical or original fabric and
materials are covered by newer applied materials or infill, We
simply assessed the architectural integrity of the buildings based
on what we could see presently.
However, the Stillwater HPC may want to encourage property owners
to consult the files of this study for historical photographs'for
original or previous appearances of their buildings before deciding
on a rehabilitation design.
g) The historic buildings in Stillwater were built during an era.
when metal cornices, parapets and finials, sometimes very elaborate
ones as on the Jassoy Block, were essential parts oE the over-all
design. These projecting design elements lend texture and interest
to the streetscapes and are an integral part of the historic fabric
and appearance oE the downtown, There are craftsmen in the
metropolitan area who do this work today and owners should be
encouraged to preserve these important remaining design elements.
h) There are some classic examples of poor tuckpointing in the CBD
on stone and brick buildings, especially where cornices and
parapets have been removed or where fires have destroyed the tops
OE buildings. The National Park Service has produced pamphlets on
how to do this correctly so that the grout matches the original in
color, consistency, and composition. Owners desiring the- 20% .
Investment Tax Credit for certified rehabilitations mus t meet these
criteria. The National Park Service has made this a requirement .
for certified rehabs because grout that is too hard can cause
spalling on softer older brick. Grout which is a different color
Or texture is noticeable and detracts from the historic facades.
Again, there are companies in the Twin Cities who will conduct
compression analyses oE historic brick and other companies who know
how the wash, tuckpoint, and match historic fabric on brick walls
vithou t causing undue financial or time co.ns traints to owners .
5) hers who sandblast their masonry buildings should be told that
this will make them ineligible for the 207. tax credit for certified
rehabilitations.
6. If the Corps of Engineers contemplates earthen or folding levees
again along the riverfront, they should be notified about this National-
. Register study and pending district nomination. John Anfinson should
receive a copy of this report for his files. It is still the opigon
of the Consultant that COE flood control structures should still be..
located, if needed, along the railroad tracks east of the Freight House '
Restaurant between it and Lowell Park, This location would do the
least damage to the visual qualities in the district and would not
impact historic structures.'
7. Several properties were identified which would make individual -
nominations. to the National Register which were not included in the
district nomination because they were not proximate to the
concentration of buildings in the district. These include: The Third
Street Pump Station (#203) ; the Stillwater Carnegie Library (#200) ; the
small Greek Revival House (8252) at 110 E. Myrtle; and Ascension
Lutheran Church (8206).
Either the Stillwater BeC should consider nominating these
properties individually, or preparing a Multiple Property noraination to
include these individual nominations with the Historic Commercial
District nomination. \
8. The HPC should consider working with Sue Collins and the public
library to insure that a second set of Inventory files and a copy of
the report and cjistrict nomination are permanently placed in the
Minnesota Room.
9. The Minnesota Historical Society's State Historic Preservation
Office should write an urban historic context for Minnesota cities.
should include the themes of early settlement, transportation,
economics, government/politics, commerce, architecture, and community
planning and development, among others. Property types include :
commercial buildings, municipal or county buildings, federal buildings,
railroad structures, . industrial and manufacturing structures, schools 9
utility buildings, theaters and halls, hotels and roodng houses,
banks, liveries and car showrooms, parks and related landscaping
objects, apartment blocks, funeral homes, and communications buildings
(newspaper and telephone buildings). - -
ENDNOTES
L ha Glaser , *How Stillwater Came to Be, " . Minnesota His tory
24: 195-199.
3 Glas er , 202-203.
4 Glaser, 203-204.
5 Glaser, 204.
6 NfS-11, 508.
7 Neill, 547.
8 Neill, 508.
9 Neill, 522.
11 Ibid . -
Neill, 530.
Neill, 547.
Ibid . -
.La Norene Roberts, Historical Reconstruction of the Riverfront:
Stillwater, Minnesota. ' p>epared. for the St. Paul District, -Corps of -
Engineers, July 1985, 34-38.
16 Paul Caplazi Papers. 'Paper on Early Stillwater Days," April,
1944. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Library and Atchives,
13.
17 Caplazi, 6.
Caplazi, 10.
19 . 1891 Sanborn Insurance Map.
20 Roberts, 110.
. 21 . Roberts, 59-47.
22 Roberts, 49.
23 Northwest Architectural Archives, Architects Biography Files,
University of Minnesota.
Ibid. -
25 The.'~tillwater Gazette, February 2, 1929, 12.
26 NSP News, January, 1958, 20. On file: Northern'.States Power
Company, Minneapolis.
28 1924 Sanborn Map; "Stillwater Buildings," Book 6, page 21,
Minnesota Room, Stillwater Public Library; Augustus B. Easton, History
of the St. Croix Valley, vol. 1. (Chicago: H.C. Cooper Jr. & Co.,
19091, 259.
29 Maurice Stenerson, Chairperson, Stillxater Heritage
Preservation Commission, Interview with the author, August 9, 1989.
APPENDIX A
National Register 'of Historic Places Criteria . .
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF NATIONAL REGISTER PROPERTIES
.
The quality of significance in American history, architecture,
archeology, and culture is present in districts , sites, buildings,
structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association,'.and:
A. that are associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of our history: or
B. that are associated with the lives of persons significant in
our past; or \
C. that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period,
or method of construction, or that represent a significant and
distinguishable entity whose components may lack 'individual .
distinction; or
D. that have yielded, or may be likely to yield,-information .
important in prehistory'or history.
Ordinary cemeteries, birthplaces, or graves of historical figures,
properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious
purposes, structures that have been moved from their original
locations, reconstructed historic buildings, properties primarily -.
commemorative in nature, and properties which have achieved - .-
significance within the past '50 years shall not be considered eligible
for the National Register. Such properties may quality if they are
integral parts of districts, or fall within the following categories:
A. a religious property deriving primary significance from
architectural or. artistic distinction or:historical importance; or
B. a building or structure removed ftomits original location but
which is significant primarily for architectural value, or which is
the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic
person or event; or
C. 8 birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding
importance if there is no other appropriate site or building
directly associ'ated with his productive Life; or
D. 8 cemetery that derives its primary significance from graves of
persons of transcendent importance, f tom age, f tom distinctive
design features, or from association with historic events; or
E. a reconstructed bu-';lding when accurately executed in a suitable
environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a
restoration master plan, and when no other building or structure . . with .the same association has survived; or
F. a property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age,
tradition, 'or symbolic value has invested it with its OWTI
historical significance ; or
G. a property achieving significance within the past:50 years if
it is of exceptional importance.
APPENDIX B
List of Inventoried Properties
\
a LIST OF INVENTORIED PROPERTIES
Historic names or functions of are underlined. Dates of construction are
in parentheses. Current tenants/ uses are in parentheses'aEter historic names.
Circa dates indicate Sanborn map research findings in combination with historic
photos and city directories.
Name of Site .
Carnegie Public Library
house
Trinity Lutheran Church
Third Street Pump Station
United States Post Office
commercial/apartment bldg.
(pre-1884)
Ascension Episcopal Church
house
house
house
(pre-i884
Location
223 N. Fourth St.
215 N. Fourth St.
115 N. Third St.
204 N. Third St.
\-
102 N. Third St.
107 N. Third St.
214 N. Third 'St.
209 N. Third St.
215 N. Third St.
219 N. Third St.
Site #
SWC-200..
SWC-201
SWC-202
SWC-203
SWC-204
. SWC-205
Parcel 9'
10691-4192
First Church, Christ
Scientists (condos) 231 N. Third St. SWC-210 ' 9341-2000 (1925)
- rn
vacant lot 115 N. Third St. SUG211 10691-2660
Jassoy Block 200 S. Third St. SUC-212 10693-2350 (1886)
parking lot 220-30 S. Second St. SWG213 10693-2100
Stillwater Laundry, Inc. (3)
(Cleaner Shorty Launderer) 121 E. Chestnut st. SWC-214 10693-2000 (1910'24)
Kinsels Liquor Store 118 E. Chestnut st'. SWG215 10691-5330 (1910-24)
I (132-4 S. Second St.)
auto sales buildin
commercial bu.i?ding , 126 S. Second St. SWC-216 10691-53302
( 1910-24)
., ..-
124 S. Second St. SWG217
auto sales building
commercial building
garage ( Hols ten Law Off ices )
10691-5270 (ca , 1910-24)
124 S. Second St. SWC-218 .
Stillwater Gazette Building 102 S. Second St. SWG219
106-18 S. Second St. SWG220 parki?g lot (2 s'eparate lots )
1069 1-5240
Lowell Inn 102 N. Second St. SWC-221
Lowell Inn parking lot
1069 1-3720
122-24 N. Second St. SWG222
123 N. Second St. SWC-223 Connolly Shoe Co. building
Rock Garden & Fountain 113 N. Second St. SWC-224 10691-2820
(north of old Federal Building, south of Connolly Shoe) (post-1924)
Federal Building (old P.O.) 220 E! Myrtle St. SWC-225 10691-2780 (1903)
Armitage Office Building 275 S. ~hird St. SWC-226 10693-2300 (1970s ?)
stillwater Armory 107 E. Chestnut St. SWC-227 106'93-2310 (1921-2)
Henry D, Cutler House (7)
(Piper Jaffray & Hopnood) 106 E. Chestnut St.
Belisle Mortuary
(American Legion Post 48) 103 S. Third St.
house 114 E. Chestnut St.
commercial bldg. (Water Music) 116 E. Chestnut St.
bakery/ candy factory
comnercial/apartments 118 E. Chestnut St.
duplex (Second street Store) 233 S. Second St.
(pre-1884)
First National Bank 213 E. Chestnut St.
1977 alterations) (213 S. Second St..)
washington Federal S & L
(Metropolitan Federal Bank) 200 E. Chestnut St.
1977 alterations)
. .
Kalinoff Building/ (Gadsas
Jewelers/Golden Hirror) 224 E. Chestnut St. SWC-236 10691-5810 . (pre-1884)
!St. Croix. Cards & Gifts/ . .
Rexall ) 226 E. Chestnut St. SWC-237 10691-5780
(pre-1884)
Bluff City Lumber Co.
(United Building Center) 301 S. Second St. SWC-238 10692-4700 (1931-56)
Old State PrisonAus storage 606 N. Main St. SWC-239 9028-0050 (1884-90)
.
Battle Hollow Bistoric Marker 606 N. Main St. SWC-240. 9028-0050
Warden' s House Terr . Prison 602 N. Main St. SWC-241 10690-2160 ( 1853-1-1
house
(1904.-10)
house
(pre-1884)
vacant lots
307 E. Laurel St. SWG242 10690-35007
520 N..Main St. SWC-243 10690-3750
5i2 N. Main St.
k. Main St. SWC-245 10690-4050
Staples Mill.
Stillwater Mfg. Co. 410 N. Main St. sWC-246 10690-4050
(ca. 1898-1904 and ca. 1910-24)
Stillwater Mfg. Co.
(Limited Ed. Furn. Co.) 380 N. Main St.
(ca. 1891-98 and 1910-24)
residence/office
(Stillwater Realty Co.) 226 'as t Myrtle SWC-249 - 1069 1-2900
(pre-1884)
vacant lot - . 1 Myrtle SUC-250
(between 214-226 E. Myrtle)
office/ bank (?)
(The Minds Aye)
(ca. 1913-1915)
residence
(pre-1884)
t
residence
(ca. 1879-84)
221 East Myrtle *, SHC-251 10691-3690
110 E. Hyrtle : ' SWC-252 10691-54501
109 Esst Myrtle SHC-253 10691-3920
Century Power Equipment
(pos t-1956)
auto sales and service
commercial building
Joseph Wolf Brewery Caves
Joseph Wolf office .
(ca. 1872-78) .
Joseph Wolf brewery building
(ca. 1872)
infill (Vittorios)
(ca. 1945)
,...-
240 East Mulberry .SUG254
206 East Mulberry . . SUG255
520(?) South Main St. SUC-256
414 South Main St. SUC-257
412.South Main St. SUC-335
406 South Main St. SWC-258 10692-4200
ic Hotel (? 1 (Vittorios) 402 South Main St. SUC-259 10692-4200
(ca. 1872)
(Port of Stillwater)
(ca. 1885)
Grand Garage
10692-2800 (1973 +)
Udon Block (Gnu Clothes)
(ca. 1873-4)
r,
330 S. Main St. SWC-260 1069 2- 4100
324 South Main' St. SUC-261 10692-4100, .
312 South Main St. SUC-262 10692-3850
_Union Block (The Word Smith) 310 South Main St. SWC-263 10692-3800
(ca. 1873-74)
Union Block -
(The Croixside Press) 308 South Main St. SWC-264 10692-3800
B
(ca. 1873-74)
Union Block (John's Bar) (304) 302 S. Main St. SWC-265 10692-3700. -.
rn
(ca. 1873-74)
N.S.P. Division Office
(Tamarack House Galleries) 236 South Main St. SUC-266 10692-3650 (1927)
L
(Hooley's TY and Appliance) 232 South Main St. SWC-267 10692-3550 (1942-43)
(Stillwater Pet & Supply Co. ) 226 South Main St .' SWC-268 10692-35007
(ca. 1888-91, stuccoed 1942-43)
. (Mad Capper Saloon 8 Eatery) 224 South Main St. SUC-269 10692-3470
(ca. 1884-88) b
(Martins)
(ca. 1884-87)
214 South Main St. SUC-270 10692-3450
(Sherburne ' s Jewelers ) 210 South Hain St. SWC-271 10692-33507
ca. 1898-1904)
(Estelles) 208 South Hain St. SWC-272 10692-3320
( ca . 1898-1904)
( 204 Hains treet Hair Design) 204 South Hain St. SblC-273 10692-3320
(ca. 1898-1904)
(St. Croix Rexall Drugs) (132) 126 S. Main St. SWC-274 10691-5780 (1869)
(Mainstreet Square, south) 1267) South Wain St. SUC-275 , 10691-5750
(ca. 1904)
3. Karst Block (Hainstreet N.) 122 South Wain St. SWC-276 10691-5750 (1891)
(Trade Wind Travel/Silver Photo).118 South Hain St. SWG277 10691-5750
(pre-1884)
(comercial/apts/~e~s Cafe) 108-112 South Main St.SWC-278 10691-5660,
10691-5720, re-i884)
Joseph Wolf Bldg. -
(Stillwater Photo) 102 Soyth Hain St. , SWC-279 10691-5660 (1911)
(Smitty ' s ~arbersho~) 235 East Chestnut St. SWG280 10692-3300
ca . 1898-1904)
Tepass Block . 223 East Chestnut St. SWC-281 10692-3300 (1885)
McKusick Block
Norwes t BanklNorwes t Ins. 102-106 N. Main St. SWC-282 10691-2930
10691-5780 (1880)
(Cat Ballouts Saloon & Eatery) 110-112 N. Main St. SWC-284 10691-2990 '
(pre-1884)
(Stillwater Book & Stationery) 114 North Hain St. ~~~285 10691-3020
(pre-1884) ' ' . .
Excelsior Block
10691-3050 (1882)
Super America Station
(ca. 1975)
parking lot
1
Unocal 76 Station
pos t-1956
118-126 N. Main St. SWC-286 10691-3140,
103 North Hain St. SWG287 10691-3170
.:-' . . . .
115-25 North Hain:~t. SWC-288
204 North Hain St. SWC-289 10691-2510 .
( Wrap-and-Ship) ' 212 North Nain St. SWC-290 10691-2540
(ca. 1888-91) -
vacant lot 214 North Nain St. SWC-291
(Valley Auto Parts)
(post-1956)
218 North riain St., SWC-292 10691-2660 . .
Associated Eye Physicians.. . . 232 North Main St. SWC-293 10691-2720,
10691-7100 (1977)
parking lot (?I North Main St. SWC-29 4
Foot-Schulze Co. shoe factory
(Johnny's TV Sales & Service) 242 North Main St. SWC-295 '10691-2730
St. Croix Ringer Co. (?)
(Staples Mill Antiques) 270 North Main St. SWC-296 10691-2752
traditionally 252-54 N. Main, ca. 1924-56)
-I
saloon (Rivertown Grille) 304 N. Main St. SWC-297 10690-7350
( pre-1884)
Stillwater Mfg. Co. .. .
commercial building 312 (318) North Main St SWC-298 10690-72501
(post-1956)
Stillwater Mfg. Co.
(The Wood Shop/ Ltd. Furn) ? North.Main St. SWC-299
(ca. 1924-56) Same as SWG247?
Stillwater Market Creamery
(Maple Island Farm Dairies) 219 North Main St. SWC-301 10691-3350
(ca. 1937)
Smithson Paper Box Co.
(ca. 1910-24)
323 South Main St. SHC-302 10692-2850
(Fancy Nancy's Jewelry) 319 South Main St. SWC-303 10692-2800
(pre-1884)
(Barbara Ann's)
(pre-1884
317 South Nain St. SWC-304 10692-2800
Simone t ' s Furniture. ,and -
Carpet Co. Bldg. 301 South Hain St: SWC-305 10692-2750 (1904) L
: (Silver Lake Restaurant) 241-243 S. Main St. SWC-306 10692-2700 (1951-2) '
. vacant Lot 237(?) South Hain St. SWC-307 10692-2700
(The Village 11) 233 South Main St. SUC-308 10692-2600
(ca. 1891-1900) . , . .
(The Village) 229 South Main St. SUC-309 10692-2550 (1910)
(The Eagles Club)
(ca. 1884-888)
(The Outfitters)
(ca. 1906-1910)
227 South Main St.
223 South Main St.
(Brines) 219 South Main St.
First Natl. Bank Bldg. 215 South Main St.
Brunswick Block
10691-2050 (1889)
~eed's Block (vacant)
(FoxyOs/Shoe Repair)
(ca. 1910-14)
209-211 S. Main St.
201 South Main St.
306-308 E. chestnut
Hosier Block (Diamonds on Main) 129 S. Main St.
Jarchow & York Block 127 South Main St.
J. Karst Block
(Thompson Hardware ) 125 South Main St. SWC-319 10691-5930 (1887)
Staples Block (Kolliner's) 119 south Main St. SWC-320 10691-5900 (1890)
Cosmopolitan State Bank 101 South Main St. SWC-321 10691-5840 (1967)
Lift Bridge foot of Chestnut SWC-322 (1930)
commercial infill/ connector 219(?) East Myrtle SuC-323
(separate site 7, ca. 1913-24) - -
vacant lot 314 East Chestnut St; SWC-324 10691-6080
Lowell Park/ levee riverfront SUC-325 (19'16+1
Hooley's Supermarket '. 127 S. Water Street SYC-327
(1960-61)
Mullet's Boat Works
(Popeye's)
. .I. -5
riverfront south df SWG326
marina
Lumbermen's Exchange Bldg. 113-121 S. Water St. SWC-328 -
Wcago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
Passenger and freight depot
(Freight House) 239-305 S. Water St. SWC-329
Dock Cafe '425 E. Nelson 'st. SUC-330
city restrooms/ lift station riverfront north of SUC-331
1984) Nelson St.
Woodward levat tor east of 403-07 S. Main SUC-332
Harvest States Co.op. building 401 S. Main St. SWC-333
(ca. 1924-56).
Stillwater Gas & .Electric Co.
Building (Brick Alley) 421-423 S. Main St. SWC-334
19 07 1
commercial building 119 S. Union Street SUC-283
(pre-1884)
commercial building 117 S. Union Street SWC-248
(pre-1884)
barn 211 1/2 Nelsqn St SWC-336
(ca. 1891-98) .
dwelling/ storage building 239 Nelson Street SWC-337
(ca. 1883)
vacant lot 109 S. Union Stteet SWC-338
APPENDIX C
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f
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-.
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. . .. - -
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-.
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. .
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A
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