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J.C. Gardner House

 

This vernacular house was built for J.C. Gardner circa 1873. Gardner built the original, one-and-a-half-story portion of the house, which has a front gable roof, for an estimated cost of $1,500 based on tax assessor records. The house is prominently visible on the 1879 Bird’s Eye View of the City of Stillwater. The frame home rests on a limestone foundation; is faced with clapboard siding; has tall, narrow, one-over-one double-hung windows and an enclosed, full-width front porch. A later brick chimney is located on the rear elevation. At some point prior to 1910, the one-and-a-half-story side gable addition was added to the west elevation. The addition has a one-story porch and gable wall dormers that break the roofline on the north and south elevations. The porch on the north elevation has been enclosed. A modern, front-gabled garage, front-gabled shed, and hipped-roof gazebo are located behind the house.

The original homeowner, J.C. Gardner, was a guard at the Stillwater Prison in the late 1870s. According to the 1892 city directory, George H. and Kittie Sullivan were living in the house. Mr. Sullivan was a partner in the law firm of Manwaring & Sullivan, which had an office at 104 North Main Street. The Sullivan’s lived in this house until 1905 when they moved to Mahtomedi. It should be noted that Sullivan was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1906, and from 1916-1917, he served as the lieutenant governor of Minnesota (Peterson & Thilgen, Stillwater: A Photographic History 1843-1993, 1992:95).

Source(s): Information complied by 'The 106 Group' on 9/15/2008.

Washington County Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 2803020310070

Common Property Name: J.C. Gardner House

Neighborhood: Greeley Addition

State Historic Preservation Office Inventory Number: WA-SWC-569

Construction Date: Circa 1873

Builder:

Architect:

Architectural Style: Vernacular