CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL ZONING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE, InRe: Appeal from decision of Minneapolis FINDINGS OF FACT Heritage Preservation Commission denying AND demolition approval for 2320 Colfax Avenue RECOMMENDATION South City Hall, 350 South Fifth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415. On March 18, 2014, the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) denied an application by Michael Crow (Applicant) for demolition of historic resource for the property located at 2320 Colfax Avenue South. The decision of the HPC to deny demolition approval was appealed by Mr. Crow to the Minneapolis City Council pursuant to Minneapolis Code of Ordinances (MCO) § 599.190. Having held a public hearing on the appeal, the Committee now makes the following findings FINDINGS OF FACT 1, The Applicant is proposing to raze the fifteen-room boarding house located at 2320 Colfax Avenue South (Property) in order to create a four-story, forty-five unit apartment building. The Applicant submitted an application for demolition of historic resource. The land use applications and approvals required for the new construction are not currently at issue. 2. MCO § 599.460 states, “The planning director shall review all building permit applications that meet the definition for demolition to determine whether the affected property is an historic resource. If the planning director determines thatthe property is not an historic resource, the building permit shall be approved. If the planning director determines that the property is an historic resource, the bui {ing permit shall not be issued without review and approval by the commission following a public hearing.” Per MCO § 599.110, “historic resource” is defined as “property that is believed to have historical, cultural, architectural, archaeological or engineering significance and to meet at least one of the criteria for designation as a landmark or historic district as provided in this chapter.” In February 2013, upon receipt of a building permit application that met the definition for demolition, the City’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department (CPED) approved the permit based on the planning director's determination that the Property is not a historie resource. Anders Christensen appealed the determination that the Property is not a historie resource to the HPC pursuant to MCO § 599.180. Notwithstanding the CPED staff recommendation that the Property is not a historic resource, the HPC granted the appeal of the planning director's determination. On May 24, 2013, the City Council affirmed the HPC and concluded that the Property is @ historic resource, The historic resource ; rather, determination is not a final judgment on the historic merit of the Propert it dictates the process required to consider a demolition request. Instead of CPED approving the demolition request administratively, the Applicant was required to g0 to the HPC for review of the request in a public hearing setting, On February 18, 2014, the Applicant submitted a demolition of historic resource application. Pursuant to § 599.480(a) of the City’s HPC Regulations, a requestfor demolition approval shall be granted if itis determined that a property is not a historic resource. If itis determined that the property at issue is a historie resource, then the demolition permit shall be denied and the planning director ordered to prepare a historic designation study. Alternatively, if'a property is determined to be a historic resource, demolition approval may be granted if the demolition is necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the property, or that there are no reasonable alternatives to the demolition. MCO § 599.480(b). ‘The HPC denied the Applicant's demolition of historic resource application and ordered the commencement of a historic designation study. ‘The Applicant appealed this decision to the City Council pursuant to MCO § 599.190. ‘The Applicant contends that there are no reasonable alternatives to the demolition MCO § 599.480(b) states, “In determining whether reasonable alternatives exist, the [City] shall consider, but not be limited to, the significance of the property, the integrity of the property and the economic value or usefulness of the existing structure, including its current use, costs of renovation and feasible alternative uses. In terms of significance, the Committee finds that the Property does not appear eligible for local historic designation as a landmark building. This finding is based on the analysis contained in the CPED staff report (pages 3-7) by Dr. John Smoley, which is adopted and incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the Mead & Hunt firm conducted two historic resource surveys of the Lowry Hill East neighborhood that were funded by the State Historic Preservation Office and10. intended to assist the City with setting preservation priorities. Conducted in 2005 and 2008, these surveys did not recommend further historic evaluation of the Property. ‘The Property maintains its original location, but does not retain integrity in setting, design, materials, and workmanship as noted in a March 2014 “Historic Evaluation” study prepared by Landscape Research LLC, which is adopted in full and incorporated herein by reference (attached as Exhibit A). Originally built as a single-family home, the Property was converted into a multi-family residence in 1965. The Property was converted into a rooming house in 1982 with one dwelling unit and thirteen rooming units. Afier a fire destroyed the upper floors 1991, the Property was converted into a fifteen-unit rooming house. The masonry porch that dominates the front of the Property was enclosed in 1948. The Property has been re-sided twice with asbestos siding in 1960 and with vinyl siding in 2003. The vast majority of the historic windows have been replaced. Eaves have been wrapped in aluminum, a weathervane and finials have been removed, the frieze is narrower than its historical counterpart, new siding is ‘wider, fenestration has been covered with aluminum storm windows, comer boards have been added, front dormer gable detailing has been removed or covered, a porthole window on the front and a Palladian window on the comer side have been removed, flared belt courses and walls no longer exist, and the rear porch has been enclosed and expanded into a side addition. ‘The Property does not retain integrity of materials, The majority of the Property's, original interior and exterior materials have been replaced or covered.i 12. 13. Integrity of workmanship is evident in very few remaining exterior features apart from two bow windows and a brick chimney. The Property is not eligible to receive historic tax credits to aid in rehabilitation because of this lack of integrity. Continued use of the Property as a fifteen-unit rooming house is not a reasonable alternative to demolition. Rooming houses have been a nonconforming use in the City since May 1991. A rooming house cannot be legally established today. Itis the City’s expressed policy to effectuate the elimination of nonconforming uses and structures. MCO § 531.10 states, “Regulations governing nonconforming uses and structures are established to control the continued existence of legal nonconforming uses and structures by bringing about their gradual elimination, by regulating their enlargement, intensification, expansion or reconstruction, and by prohibiting their reestablishment after abandonment or destruction, and to regulate the use of, and construction on, nonconforming lots.” The demolition of the Property is consistent with both policy and ordinance. The Property is zoned R6 (“Multiple-Family District”). The avowed purpose of such high density residential zoning is “to provide an environment of high density apartments, congregate living arrangements and cluster developments on lots with a minimum of five thousand (5,000) square feet of lot area.” MCO § 546.590. A. new single-family home or duplex is prohibited in R6 zoning. Construction of @ multiple-family apartment building would be consistent with the expressed purpose of the underlying zoning.15, Conversion to a low density residential building is not reasonable. Four conceptual estimates of the cost to convert the fifteen-unit rooming house to one to four residential units range from $900,000 to $1,772,000, or $150 to $295 per square foot. Conversion to a single-family home without restoration of any of the historic fabric alone entails a $500,000 gap. 16. Even if the Applicant were able to design the smallest units permitted by the Zoning Code (350 square foot studio apartments) within the existing structure, he would only have enough room for seventeen units and even fewer when allowances for common areas and mechanical equipment are taken into account. The renovation cost would also be substantially more than the cost to convert to one to four units. Renovation at such a substantial cost resulting solely in 350 square foot studio apartments is not reasonable. 17. Based on the lack of significance, the lack of integrity, the lack of usefulness of a nonconforming rooming house, the unreasonable costs of renovation, and the lack of feasible alternative uses within the existing structure, the Committee concludes that there are no reasonable alternatives to demolition, An alleged offer to purchase the Property at a price comparable to the assessed market value is not a reasonable alternative in light of the overwhelming preponderance of these factors. Therefore, based on the foregoing Findings of Fact, the Committee makes the following recommendation:RECOMMENDATION ‘That the City Couneil grant the appeal and approve the demolition of the property located at 2320 Colfax Avenue South. ‘That these Findings of Fact and Recommendation be adopted by the City Council as their official Findings and be made part of the official record,Historic Evaluation 2320 Colfax Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota Prepared for Collage Architects by Amy M. Lucas M.S. Carole S. Zellie M.A. Landscape Research LLC St. Paul, MN March 2014 EXHIBITHistoric Evaluation 2320 Colfax Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota Prepared for Collage Architects 705 Raymond Avenue St. Paul, MN 55114 By Amy M. Lucas M. Carole S. Zellie M.A. Landscape Research, LLC 1466 Hythe Street St. Paul, MN 55108 March 2014 2320 Colfax Avenue South ‘Landscape Research LLC2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 3TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures 1.0 STUDY OBJECTIVES AND METHODS. 2.0 BACKGROUND 3.0 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION 4.0 HISTORY OF LAND USE AND OCCUPANCY 4.1 Kenwood Addi 4.2 Builder 43 Architecture 44 Property Ownership 5.0 EVALUATION 5.1 Previous Evaluations 5.2 Integrity 5.3 Evaluation 5.4 Recommendation 6.0 SOURCES CONSULTED 7.0 APPENDIX 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 4 4 4 7 7 20 23 2B 28 26 27 28 31List of Figures Cover: Residence, 2320 Colfax Avenue South (Lucas, March 2014) Fig. 1. Location Map (City of Minneapolis) Fig. 2. Aerial, 2320 Colfax Avenue South (Hennepin County, 2014) Fig. 3. 2320 Colfax Avenue South, East Elevation (2014) Fig. 4. 2320 Colfax Avenue South, North Elevation (2014) Fig, 5. 2320 Colfax Avenue South, West Elevation (2014) Fig. 6.2320 Colfax Avenue South, South Elevation (2014) Fig. 7 and 8. 2320 Colfax Avenue South, East entrance and front hal stair. (2012) Fig. 9. 2320 Colfax Avenue South, Front hall. (2012) Fig, 10. 2320 Colfax Avenue South, Second floor corridor looking to third floor stair. (2012) Fig. 11. Sunnyside Addition 1882 (Hennepin County Recorder) Fig. 12. City of Minneapolis, 1892, Plate 36 (C-M. Foote & Co.) Fig. 13. Map by Minneapolis Board of Real Estate, 1903, Plate 7. Fig. 14. 2320 Colfax Avenue South ea. 1894. (Hennepin Co, Library, Minneapolis Collection, Serapbook of Clara Orth Robb). Fig. 15. 1716 Dupont Avenue South designed by Healy 1894. (lune 2013) Fig. 16. 2323 Bryant Avenue South designed by Healy in 1894. (June 2013) (porch has been altered) Fig. 17. Lowry Hill East Neighborhood historic survey map (Mead & Hunt, 2008) Fig. 18. Sanborn Insurance Map Co.,1912, Vol. 6, Sheet 609. Fig. 19, Sanborn Insurance Map Co., 1912, with 1952 revisions, Vol. 6, Sheet 609. 2320 Colfax Avenue South ‘Landscape Research LLC 5 20 4 31 32Fig. 1. Location Map 2320 Colfax Avenue South, Landscape Research LLC 61.0 STUDY OBJECTIVES AND METHODS The objective of this study was to conduct historical research on the property at 2320 Colfax: Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota to determine if it meets the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission's local designation criteria. Carole Zellie and Amy Lucas, principals of Landseape Research LLC, meet the Secretary of the Interior's Qualifications for History and Architectural History. The property was photographed during site visits in December 2012 and March 2014. Historical research relied on Minneapolis maps and atlases, building permits, city directories, census, schedules, property abstracts and newspapers. Archives at the Minnesota Historical Society, Hennepin History Museum and the Hennepin County Library-Minneapolis Collection were utilized. Several local historic context studies, including “The Wedge Neighborhood of Minneapolis: Lowry Hill East Historie Context Study” (Landscape Research 2005), “Historie Resources Inventory: Historie Resources in the Loring Park and Elliot Park Neighborhoods, Re- survey of Lowry Hill East Neighborhood” (Mead & Hunt, 2008), “Context: Architecture 1848 to Present,” (Sluss and Zahn 1990) provide an overview of the area’s development history, architecture and property types. Fig. 2.2320 Colfex Avenue South (Hennepin County, 2014) 2320 Colfix Avenue South Landseape Research LLC 72.0 BACKGROUND In 1991, the upper two floors of the property at 2320 Colfax Avenue South burned and the following year, the fifteen-unit rooming house was purchased by Mike and Linda Crow for $145,000. The Crows, residents of Lowry Hill East neighborhood, repaired the fire damage and ‘maintained the rooming house status. The Crows purchased the neighboring rooming house at 2316 Colfax Avenue South in 1991. In August 2012, the Crows entered into a purchase agreement to sell 2316 and 2320 Colfax Avenue South, On September 2012, Pete Keely (Collage Architects) submitted an application to the City of Minneapolis for & “historic review” leter of the two properties. CPED issued a letter (September 25, 2012) noting that the properties did not meet the definition ofa historic resource. On February 26, 2013, a demolition contractor submitted a demolition permit for the houses and CPED approved on March 8, 2013. On March 15, 2013, Anders Christensen submitted an appeal of the Planning Director's determination that 2320 Colfax Avenue South did not meet the definition of a “historic resource.” At the public hearing of April 16, 2013 the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) granted the appeal and determined that the property at 2320 Colfax Avenue South is a “historic resource.” Mike Crowe appealed this decision atthe Zoning and Planning Committee of City Council (2&P) on May 21, 2013. Minneapolis City ‘Couneil denied the appeal. Mike Crow submitted a “Demolition of a Historic Resource” application on February 18, 2014, The current owner has not received offers to purchase or move ‘the house since the City Council hearing in May of 2013. 3.0 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION Location ‘The dwelling at 2320 Colfax Avenue South (PID 33029241 10099) was built in 1893 and is located at the northwest corner of Colfax Avenue South and West 24th Street. The building is located in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood of Minneapolis and occupies Lot 10 of Block 5 of ‘Sunnyside Addition to Minneapolis. The Lowry Hill East neighborhood is south of downtown, ‘Minneapolis and occupies a triangle formed by Lake Street and Franklin Avenue, and Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues. The neighborhood is informally referred to as the “Wedge” neighborhood. ‘The building is located in a densely-built urban neighborhood that was platted by 1882 and. predominately developed by 1910. The house is one block east of the Hennepin Avenue commercial thoroughfare and two blocks west of the Lyndale Avenue (CR 22) commercial corridor. A two-story residence (rooming house) at 2316 Colfax Avenue South (1902) is located to the north of the property. The three-story Colonial Apartments (1910) are located at the west of the property and the neighboring Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home and associated surface parking Tots occupy much of the block. There are early twentieth-century homes on the 2300 block of Colfax as well as three apartment buildings built between 1959 and 1969, 2320 Colfax Avenue South ‘Landscape Research LLC 5Property Description ‘The two and one-half story, Queen Anne style house was builtin 1893 by builder Theron P. Healy.' The wood-frame, irregular-plan design was constructed for $7,000. The original permit indicates the house measures 35 feet by 60 fect and sits ona rectangular corner lot. A surface parking lot is located along the rear (west) elevation ‘The building rests on a limestone foundation. The hip roof is clad in composition shingles and the eaves are clad with aluminum. A decorative red brick chimney is placed at the south roof slope and a simple, red brick chimney is at the north roof slope. Dormers project at all four roof slopes. Windows are vinyl sash with vinyl combination storm-screen units East Blevation (Colfax Avenue South) The fagade (east) facing Colfax Avenue South features a one-story projecting porch. The poreh has multiple vinyl window types and a limestone foundation with limestone piers. Concrete stairs are offset and enter a mail room corridor. The second story features two projecting bays with conical roofs and multiple window types. The dormer is centered at the roof. " Minneapolis Building Permit, #830821, 6: 2320 Colfax Avenue South ‘Landscape Research LLC 9Fig 4.2320 Colfax Avenue South, North Elevation 2014) North Blevation ‘The north elevation has an assortment of window sizes and varied placement. The first floor features a projecting bay with a wood sash filled with curved glass and is accented with a cone- shaped roof. There are two dormers at the roof; windows at the western dormer have been filed, 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 10West Blevation ‘The west elevation (rear) faces the Colonial Apartments (1910) on Dupont Avenue South. A one~ story addition projects at the south and has an aluminum door and wood stair. A second aluminum door is placed at the ground level. The west elevation features an assortment of varied ‘window sizes and placement. A central dormer has paired windows. The limestone foundation hhas been partially parged with concrete, caltitt. Fig 6.2320 Colfax Avenue South, South Elevation (2014) South Elevation (West 24th Street) ‘The south elevation faces West 24th Street. Windows at this elevation have a more regular pattern, At this elevation, a two-story bay is centered under a wide gable; three windows are arranged in the gable. A dormer with two windows is west of the gable. There is a one-story addition at the west and the one-story front porch is atthe east. Interior ‘The front porch has been filled to create a residential unit. The decorative transom glass over the entry displays the address; the main entry door has been removed. The front hall retains wood paneling, beam ceiling and curved wood window. The stair railing was replaced in 1992 with turned balusters. The second and third floors were burned and the 1992 rehabilitation removed flooring, walls and doors. The plan of the upper floors was also changed during the renovation. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC "1ig, Tand 8, 2320 Colfax Avenue Sou on) Fig. 9.2320 Colfax Avenue South, Front hall 2012) 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 12ig. 10.2520 Colfex Avenue Sout, Second floor corridor looking to thie floor stair. 2012) Alterations In 1982 the house was converted into a rooming house with one dwelling unit and thirteen rooming units. After the house burned in 1991, the house was converted into fifteen rooming, units, Atthe exterior, he open, wood-frame, front porch was altered in 1948 witha stone foundation and stone piers? At that time, the porch was enclosed, but the current windows and siding on the porch are more recent, The house was clad in asbestos siding in 1960 and replaced with vinyl siding in 2003.’ The curved siding at the belt courses was removed during the vinyl siding installation. Soffits are aluminum and 41 of the 48 windows have been replaced with vinyl ‘windows and frames are wrapped with aluminum. At each elevation, there are windows that have been completely removed. It is unclear when the addition at the west (rear) elevation was altered, but may have been renovated as part ofthe 1895 fire. An interior egress stair was builtin 1968, required the removal of the rear windows at the west elevation’ The two-story carriage house (1894) has been razed At the interior, the second and third floors were completely reconfigured after the 1991 fire; all historic fabric was removed from these floors. Some decorative details of the first floor entry hall remain including beam ceiling, wood paneling and bay window. A fireplace mantel remains in a * Minneapolis Building Permit #8298208, 3-29-1948, * Minneapolis Building Pernt #8373112, 129-1960. Trilby Busch Christensen in Tin Cites article (1981) notes that house has asbestos siding, Building owner olates that vinyl siding was installed in 2003, * Minneapolis Building Permit #34781, 531-1895 is $2,000 for fre repair. An aricle“Damaged by Fre” the Minneapolis Tribune of 4-29-1895 note feat the Edward Ont house caused $2,000 worth of damage. This fre may have boon atthe rear near the kitchen where this addition appears to have been altered from ea. 1894 photograph. * Minneapolis Building Permit #390776, 2-16-1965. 2320 Colfax Avenue South ‘Landscape Research LLC Bfirst floor residential unit. The stair rail was replaced in 1992 and the railing is filled at the second floor. 4.0 HISTORY OF LAND USE AND OCCUPANCY 4.1 Sunnyside Addition ‘The Lowry Hill East neighborhood is a triangle-shaped area bounded by Lake Street at the south, Franklin Avenue at the north, Hennepin Avenue at the west and Lyndale Avenue at the east. The area was platted by 1882 and almost fully developed by 1910. The additions north of West 26th Street were platted earlier and “attracted builders of high-styled houses.” Fig: 1. Sunnyside Addition 1882 (Hennepin County Recorder) ‘The Sunnyside Addition, in the northern section of the Wedge, was plated in 1882 by Edmund and Kate Brewster. Brewster (1817-1885), a native of New York, owned the Minneapolis Paper Mill with Calvin N. Warner. In 1879, Brewster owned 60 acres between Franklin Avenue and West 24th Street; Warner owned 45 acres south of West 24th Street" The Sunnyside Addition lots were larger than others previously platted in the area and did not provide alleys. Following, “Carole Zelle, “The Wedge Neighborhood of Minneapolis: Lowry Hill East Historie Context Stuy.” (Prepared by Landscape Research fr the Lowry Hill ast Neighborhood Assocation, 2005), bid, 12. “Bid 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 4Edmund Brewster's death in 1885, his wife continued to sell lots in the Sunnyside Addition, She sold Lot 10 of Block 5 of Sunnyside Addition (2320 Colfax Avenue South) to Clarence Sprague jin 1886.” In 1885 there were seven houses in the addition and by 1892 there were 27 houses.” Teh Fig. 12, City of Minneapolis, 1892, Plate 36 (C.M. Foote & Co.) “Many of the substantial and often high-styled houses of the Wedge illustrate the com riddle-clas clients with a group of skilled builder-contractors as well as architects." In the 1800s, local builder, T.P. Healy, was purchasing lots in the new additions between Lyndale and Hennepin Avenues and built a number of houses on speculation. Other builder-contractors * Hennepin County Deed Book 199, Page 170, 821-1886. * iid Zale, The Wedge Neighborhood of Minneapolis: Lowry Hill East Historie Context Stud." 17, 2320 Colfax Avenue South ‘Landscape Research LLC 15working in the Wedge included Henry Ingham, Henry Parson and Preston C. Richardson.”” Richardson is responsible for six houses in the 2100 block of Bryant Avenue South and Healy is credited with half the houses on the 2400 block of Bryant Avenue South." ‘These builders “were among the leaders of the 1890s boom that produced the neighborhood’s collection of Queen Anne ‘and Classical Revival dwellings, and their designs showed off the products of the city’s millwork ‘and architectural specialties dealers.” Fig. 13. Minneapolis Boar of Real Estate, 1903 (Plate 7). Note large garage at rear of 2320 Colfax Avenue South ° Ibid. Ibid, 18. bi! 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 164.2 Builder ‘The house at 2320 Colfax Avenue South was designed by local builder, Theron Potter Healy (1844-1906). Healy was born in Nova Scotia and owned a shipbuilding company in Halifax before financial problems led him to Bismarck and eventually Minneapolis in 1883."° Healy ‘opened a contracting business in 1886 and was known as a developer, builder and designer of ‘Queen Anne houses in south Minneapolis." After 1897, Healy worked chiefly as a contractor for local architects."” Healy is recognized as a prolific master builder in Minneapolis. A two-block section of residences, between 31st and 32nd Streets East and 3rd and 2nd Avenues South, is locally designated and listed in the National Register of Historie Places (NRHP). The “Healy Block Residential Historie District” nomination attributes 120 Minneapolis houses to Healy; he personally financed at least 5¢ of the 85 houses he designed." In his documentation provided for the upcoming hearing, Anders Christensen asserts that Healy constructed “over 140 buildings between 1886 and 1906.” Christensen notes that Healy designed 30 houses in the Wedge (27 remain); 28 houses in the Lowry Hill and East Lake of the Isles neighborhoods; and 37 houses in Central neighborhood. Healy built at least thirty houses in the Wedge neighborhood; some share the same block as 2320 Colfax Avenue South. The houses at 2306 and 2310 Colfax Avenue South were completed in 1892. Healy also designed three houses in the block to the south: 2408 Colfax Avenue South (1896), 2424 Colfax Avenue South (1894) and 2429 Colfax Avenue South (1895). The block to the south was recommended as a “potential historic district” in a 2008 study, “Historic Resources Inventory: Historic Resources in the Loring Park and Elliot Park Neighborhoods, Re-survey of Lowry Hill East Neighborhood.” 4.3 Architecture ‘The Queen Anne style house at 2320 Colfax Avenue South sits ina neighborhood predominately developed in the Queen Anne and Neoclassical styles. Queen Anne was the dominant American domestic architectural style from the 1870s to the 1910s. Though popularized by English architects in the nineteenth-century, the Queen Anne style was adapted as a distinctly American domestic style. The asymmetrical houses feature pitched roofs, tall chimneys, dormers, projecting bays, turrets and porches. Wall surfaces are decorated with patterned shingles, wood siding, decorative brackets, turned posts and scrollwork. With the advent of architectural pattern books and pre-cut decorative wood elements, the style was casily copied throughout the United States Rapid industrialization and expansion of the railroads led to further dissemination of the style providing for mass-produced lumber, pre-fabricated decorative elements and accessible shipping, Known for decorative detailing, the Queen Anne style is divided into four basic subtypes: Spindlework, Free Classic, Half:Timbered, and Patterned Masonry.” The Hal-Timbered type, with timbering inthe gables, and Patterned Masonry, with patterned brickwork, are more rate ® Susan Granger and Patricia Murphy, “Healy Block Residential Historie District.” (National Register of Historie Places Registration Form, 1992), 812; Alan Lathrop, Minnesota Archtets: A Biggraphical Dietionary (Minneapolis University of Minnesota Press, 2010), 98 "Ibid "Ibi " Granger and Murphy, 8:12. rignia and Lee Mes lester, Field Guide 1o American Houses (New York: Aled A. Knopf, 1996), 264 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 7Over fifty percent of Queen Anne subtypes feature spindlework detailing in turned porch supports and ornamentation in balustrades and frezes.”* Almost one-third of all Queen Anne style buildings fall into the sub-style known as Free Classic, which isthe result of a transition from the Queen Anne style to the Colonial Revival style and was common after 1890." This subtype traded spindlework decorative elements for classical columns and features Palladian windows and dentil molding at comices, A historic photograph (ca. 1894) reveals that the house at 2320 Colfax Avenue South was originally designed as a Queen Anne style residence with Free Classic details that included ‘grouped porch columns, bay windows and ocular window. The patterned shingles in the gables, finials, inset able windows, turned balustrade and the patterned masonry chimney are typical ‘Queen Anne deals. The two-story carriage house also exhibited Queen Anne elements oF decorative wood surfaces, recessed windows in gables and patterned brick chimney. The carriage house (1894), also designed by Healy, was a significant structure when completed; it measured 40 bby 46 feet and cost $1,700 to build.” The house underwent a significant fire on April 28, 1895, ‘worth $2,000 in damages, and Healy returned to make repairs.” 14,2310 Colfax Avenue South ca 1894 after carriage house construction. (Hennepin Co. Library, Minneapolis Collection, Maude Katherine (Orth) Robb Scrapbook), * ia "Thi. " Minneapolis Building Permit 932213, 4-2-1894 » “Damaged by Fire,” Miregpoli Tribune, 4-29-1895; Minneapolis Building Permit 34781, 5-31-1895, 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 18‘The “Healy Block Residential Historie District” nomination notes “after 1893 Healy shifted from the Queen Anne to simpler, more symmetrical Neo Classical-inspired designs." The historie district nomination claims that the hhouse at 3115 2nd Avenue South, built in 1891, “represents the transitional phase of his work from the Queen Anne style to the Neo Classical.” The Healy- designed houses at 1716 Dupont Avenue South (Fig. 15) and 2323 Bryant Avenue South (Fig. 16), both built in 1894, are q 1 of 2320 Colfax Avenue South (1893), all were built after the “transitional house” on 2nd Avenue South. The houses on Bryant and Dupont Avenues South also retain original wood windows and wood siding, The house at 1716 Dupont Avenue South retains the historic open porch and grouped columns like the original ign of 2320 Colfax Avenue South, Fig. IS. 1716 Dupont Avenue South designed by Healy in 1894. (June 2013) Granger and Murphy, 8:13, bid, 75, 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 19Fig, 16,2323 Bryant Avenue South designed by Healy in 1894, une 2013) (porch has been altered) Most historians date the renewed interest in the Colonial Revival style to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876.” As the United States worked through the bitterness of the Civil ‘War, the exposition provided a comforting view of the nation’s founding and promoted national unity, Heritage groups, ineluding the Sons of the Revolution (1883) and Daughters of the American Revolution (1890), were founded. Colonial Revival features appeared in Queen Anne houses in the 1880s with dentils, modillions and Palladian windows. Following Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893, “colonial was the undisputed national style.””” 44 Property Ownership Healy T. P. and Mary Healy purchased Lot 10 of Block 5 for $3,600 from Clarence Sprague on April 21, 1893.” Healy applied for a building permit on June 12, 1893, estimating the house costs at $7,000, and advertised the house for sale in the Minneapolis Tribune on March 18, 1894.” Healy sold the house for $12,500 to Edward F. Orth in March 1894.9 Dell Upton and John Michael Vlac, ed, Common Places: Readings in American Vernacular Architecture (Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Poss, 1986), 263 ’Mary Miley Theobald, The Colonial Revival: The Past that Never ies;* Colona! Williamsburg Journal, Summer 2002, ® Hennegin County Deed Book 381, Page 202, 421-1893. “Classified,” Minneapolis Tribune, 3-18-1894 Hennepin County Deed Book 396, Page 446, 327-1894 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 20Orth Edward Frederick Orth (1856-1910), son of John and Mary (Weinell) Orth, was born in Minneapolis (St. Anthony) in 1856. Edward’ father, John Orth (1821-1887), opened Minneapolis's first brewery at 1228 Marshal Street N.E. in 1850, The Orths, and their five children, lived at 1207 Marshall Street N.E. near the brewery. Edward Orth married Katherine Loftus (1859-1916) on May 4, 1877 and remained in the family home. The Orth sons, John Jr. (b. 1850), Edward and Alfred (b. 1861) were employed atthe brewery; John Jr. was president following his father’s death in 1887." The brothers continued at the brewery until it merged to form the Minneapolis Brewing and Malting Company in 1890 and a new brewery was completed in 1893 on the former brewery site.” ‘The three brothers started Orth Bros., @ real estate and loan company, in 1891.* Perhaps due to the Panie of 1893 and resulting economic depression, the real estate company elosed in 1895. The ‘economic depression had devastating results for the Orth family on September 7, 1893 when Edward Orth's brother-in-law, Mathias Bofferding, committed suicide. Bofferding was president of the Minneapolis Brewing and Malting Company and cashier at the Bank of Minneapolis where funds may have been mismanaged." In 1896, Edward Orth partnered with ice dealer, Charles Lampe, and they operated the City Ice ‘Company until 1908.” Alfred Orth joined the ice company as vice-president in 1899 and continued to live atthe Orth family home on Marshall Street.” John Jr. and his wife, Minnie, moved to Seattle where they opened a brewery.” The ice company appears to have closed in 1908, which may have been due to the damaging ice drivers’ strike of 1907."* Edward and Katherine Orth lived at 2320 Colfax Avenue South with their only surviving child, ‘Maude Katherine (1878-1960) and their niece, Aline Bofferding, They retained the services of T P. Healy for the construction ofa large carriage house in 1894 and census records show a chauffeur and cook at the residence. In 1903, the Orths sold the house to Thomas and Effie Kenyon and moved to a flat at 908 Second Avenue South.” In 1909 they lived at 3112 Harriet ‘Avenue South and, in 1910, Edward died while residing at 4429 Thomas Avenue South.” Katherine Orth died in 1916. Kenyon ‘Thomas (1863-1935) and Effie (DeMille) Kenyon (1869-1943) lived at 2320 Colfax Avenue ‘South with their children, Norma (b.1890) and Donald (b.1899), The Kenyons employed a chauffeur, a cook and house servant in 1910."" * Mimeapols City Directory, 1887, » Minneapolis City Directors, 1890-1895 » Minneapolis City Directory, 1891-1895 Shot: Another Sensation a the Bank of Minteapois,” Mhmegpolis Tribune, 981893, 4 Minneapolis City Directories, 1896-1908. Alfred Onth lived in a lat at 1512 Second Avenue South in 1903-1905, USS, Federal Census 1900, Washington State, King County, S.D.285,, 2ethe Ieeran isn't onthe Job Today.” Miameqpotis Journal, 5-1-19-7, Minneapolis City Directories, 1903-1908. “Minneapolis City Diectories, 1903-1910. © US. Federal Census 1910, S15, ED. 149, Sheet 9B. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 21Kenyon was a traveling drug salesman for Frederick F. Ingram of Detroit in 1885 and at the same time developed “Kondon's Catarrhal Jelly,” a nose jelly, which was manufactured at 2608 Nicollet Avenue.” Kenyon died in 1935 and his widow sold the house. Subsequent Ownership Following the Kenyons' residence the property changed hands a number of times. Grace Green owned the house in 1943 and it was sold to William and Beth Brown in 1943. The Browns sold the house to Herman and Charlotte Schaefer. They divorced in 1954 and Charlotte Schaefer sold the house to A.E. and Mary Jane Strom in 1956. Eleanor Weiland owned the house in the early 1960s and Zelma Freberg owned it in the late 1960s, The property appears to have been a rental property by 1960. © Marion D. Shute, ed, History of Minneapolis: Gateway to the Northwest (Chcage: $. Clark Publishing Co., 1923), 450-453. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 25.0 EVALUATION City of Minneapolis Criteria for Evaluation Chapter 599, Heritage Preservation Regulations of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, outlines the process for reviewing historic resources and designation criteria. When evaluating the potential destruction of a historic resource, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission “shall consider, but not be limited to, the significance of the property, the integrity of the property, and the economic value or usefulness of the existing structure” (Section 599.480). ‘When evaluating a property for local designation the property must meet atleast one of the designation criteria, According to Section 599.210, the following criteria shall be considered in determining whether a property is worthy of designation as a landmark or historic district because of its historical, cultural, architectural, archaeological or engineering significance: (1) The property is associated with significant events or with periods that exemplify broad patterns of cultural, political, economie or social history. (2) The property is associated with the lives of significant persons or groups. (3) The property contains or is associated with distinctive elements of city identity. (4) The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of an architectural or engineering type or style, ot method of construction () The property exemplifies a landscape design or development pattern distinguished by innovation, ravity, uniqueness or quality of design or detail (©) The property exemplifies works of master builders, engineers, designers, artists, crafismen or architects. (7) The property has yielded, oF may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. 5.1 Previous Evaluations ‘The property was not included in the 1980-81 survey of the City of Minneapolis, often referred to as the “B00 List” survey. ‘The historic resources surveys of the City of Minneapolis are an on-going survey effort, funded by the State Historic Preservation Office, to aid the City with preservation priorities. Mead & Hunt surveyed Lowry Hill East neighborhood in 2005 for the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association (LHENA). The City of Minneapolis retained the services of Mead & Hunt in 2008 to re-survey Lowry Hill East, The results are published in the report, “Historie Resources Inventory: Historic Resources in the Loring Park and Elliot Park Neighborhoods, Re-survey of Lowry Hill East Neighborhood.” ‘The 2008 report notes “inventoried properties must retain sufficient historic integrity in order to convey a sense of time and place. One test to measure if a property retains historic integrity is to 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 23ask if the original owner or builder would say the property looks very similar to how it existed during thei lifetime. Alterations to historie properties such as replacement windows, artificial siding, or non-historic additions diminish a structure’s historic integrity. Buildings that have several alterations do not retain historic integrity and were not documented in the reconnaissance survey.” ‘The report recommended a “potential historic district” of residential architecture below West 24th Street between Colfax and Aldrich Avenues South. (See Fig. 17) The property at 2320 Colfax ‘Avenue South was not been recommended for further evaluation in the 2005 or 2008 surveys of the area, fe fl > (OTE 4 ces Ee esa oll ee crear a AE es 5 ik : cee ee ae is. enelatay pel ‘moround aneennay, al a AT eS 2 Ee BE i Fig. 17, Lowry Hill Bast Neighborhood historle survey map (Mend & Hunt, 2008) 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 45.2 Integrity Section 599.480 (b) of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances states that integrity of a potential historic resource must be eonsidered when reviewing demolition, but does not explain how to evaluate integrity. The U.S, Department of the Interior-National Park Service provides interpretation of the seven aspects of integrity when evaluating a property for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The NRHP bulletin, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (NRB 15), explains that location, design, setting, materials, ‘workmanship, feeling and association of a property should be considered before historic significance." ‘The NRHP bulletin chapter, Understanding the Aspects of Integrity, follows: Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred. Except in rare cases, the relationship between a property and its historic associations is destroyed if the property is moved. Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property. Design includes such elements as organization of space, proportion, seale, technology, omamentation, and materials Setting isthe physical environment of a historic property. Whereas location refers to the specific place where a property was built or an event occurred, setting refers to the character of the place in which the property played its historical role. Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property. A property must retain the key exterior materials dating from the period ofits historic significance. Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people uring any given period in history or prehistory. Workmanship is important because it can furnish evidence of the technology of a craft, illustrate the aesthetic principles of a historic or prehistoric period, and reveal individual, local, regional, or national applications of both technological practices and aesthetic principles. Feeling is a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time. Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. © US, Department of the Interior, National Repister Bulletin “How to Apply the National Repstr Criteria for Evaluation.” 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 25‘The NRHP bulletin chapter, Understanding the Aspects of Integrity, also explains how to review integrity as follows: VISIBILITY OF PHYSICAL FEATURES Properties cligible must not only retain their essential physical features, but the features ‘must be visible enough to convey their significance. This means that even if a property is. physically intact, its integrity is questionable if ts significant features are concealed under modern construction. Archeological properties are often the exception to this; by nature they usually do not require visible features to convey their significance. 53 Evaluation Criteria Under criterion 1, the property is not associated with significant events or with periods that exemplify broad patterns of cultural, political, economic or social history. The property is one of ‘many houses developed in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood at the turn of the century. The house does not possess more significance than the surrounding residences. ‘The residence was the home of Edward Orth from 1894 to 1903 and Thomas Kenyon from 1903 to 1935. Orth operated areal estate company from 1891 to 1895 and an ice company from 1896 to 1908. He is the son of brewer, John Orth, but did not continue brewery operations in Minneapolis. Kenyon was @ pharmaceutical salesman and manufactured Kondon’s Catarhall Jelly. Orth and Kenyon do not figure prominently in Minneapolis’ history and the property is not associated with the lives of significant persons or groups under criterion 2. ‘The property is not associated with distinctive elements of the city or neighborhood identity and is not significant under criterion 3. Queen Anne style houses are located throughout Minneapolis and most American cities. The building type and its architectural style are not indigenous to Minneapolis or particularly identified with Minneapolis ‘An historic photograph reveals the property was originally designed in the Queen Anne style with Free Classi details of paired columns and bay windows. An almost identical house designed by Healy, with historic integrity, is located at 1716 Dupont Avenue South. The property at 2320 Colfax Avenue South has hed numerous exterior alterations and does not embody the distinctive characteristics of the architectural style and is not significant under criterion 4 ‘The property does not exemplify a landscape design or development pattern distinguished by innovation, rarity, uniqueness or quality of design or detail and is not significant under criterion 5. The building is associated with local master builder, Theron P. Heely, but has severe exterior alterations. The property no longer exemplifies the work ofa master builder, engineer, designer, antst, erafisman, oF architect and is not significant under criterion 6, Healy is attributed with over 130 remaining houses in Minneapolis; 27 in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood survive and most have retained histori integrity. The property at 1716 Dupont Avenue South greatly resembles the historic design of the property at 2320 Colfax Avenue South. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 26City property atlas maps and Sanborn fire insurance maps provide information about previous use and development atthe site. The property has not yielded, nor is it likely to yield, information important in prehistory and, therefore, is not significant under criterion 7. Integrity ‘The house at 2320 Colfax Avenue South maintains its historic location, but possesses poor integrity in setting, design, materials and workmanship. The house burned in 1991 and has been converted into a rooming house. The majority of the historic features and historic materials have been removed and/or covered. The main fagade of the house has los its historic front porch to an fill design of stone, vinyl siding, plywood and vinyl replacement windows. The house was clad with asbestos in 1960 and vinyl in 2003. The historic windows were replaced with vinyl windows ‘and storms in 2003. Some window openings have been completely removed and/or covered. Exterior details including moldings, cornice, brackets, railings, soffits and doors have been removed. ‘The second and third floors of the house were completely rebuilt following the fire in 1991 While some features remain in the first floor hall, they are not enough to warrant an interior historic designation. There are many intact Healy interiors in the Healy Block Historie District, bbut none have been designated. Interior designations ae rare in Minneapolis and include the Rand Tower lobby and the Orpheum Theater. ‘The 2008 City of Minneapolis survey of this area excluded this building from further research most probably due to integrity issues. The report followed general practice to “ask if the property looks very similar to how it appeared during the lifetime of the original owner or builder” and. finds that buildings with “several alterations do not retain integrity and were not documented in the survey.” Historic properties are evaluated on their current condition. For example, ofthe fourteen Healy- designed houses in the Healy Block Residential Historic District, the Healy-Forbes House at 3137 2" Avenue South, is considered non-contributing due to alterations. At the time of designation, the house had an enclosed porch and asbestos siding. Historie designations cannot be recommended on what a property may look like: a future histori rehabilitation cannot be guaranteed. 5.4 Recommendation It is recommended that the residence at 2320 Colfax Avenue South is not eligible for heritage designation. Although the residence was designed by T. P. Healy, it has severely diminished integrity. The building no longer conveys its historic appearance, most acutely apparent at the main fagade, 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 76.0 SOURCES CONSULTED. Atwater, Isaac, ed., History of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. New York: Munsell & Co., 1893. Borchert, John R., David Gebhard, David Lanegran, and Judith A. Martin. Legacy of Mimeapolis: Preservation Amid Change. Minneapolis: Voyageut Press, 1983. Christensen, Trilby Busch. “Legacy of a Master Builder: Theron Healy’ Dream of Minneapolis Lingers in his Queen Anne Architecture.” Twin Cities, Vol. 4, No. 11 (Nov. 1981). Clark, Clifford, ed., Minnesota in a Century of Change: The State and lis People since 1900, St Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1989. Clark, Clifford. The American Family Home: 1800-1960. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1986, Cohen, Lizabeth A, “Embellishing a Life of Labor: An Interpretation of the Material Culture of American Working-Class Homes, 1885-1915,” Journal of American Culture, Winter 1980, 152- 715. Foster, Janet W. The Queen Anne House: America's Victorian Vernacular. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006. Gebhard, David and Tom Martinson. A Guide fo the Architecture of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1977, Granger, Susan and Patricia Murphy. “Healy Block Residential Historic District.” 1992. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. Available at State Historic Preservation Office, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul Holmquist, June Drenning, Ed., They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the State's Ethnic Groups. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1981 Hudson, Horace B., ed, A Half Century of Minneapolis. Minneapolis: The Hudson Publishing Co., 1908, Imboden, Thatcher and Cedar Imboden Phillips. Uptown Minneapolis. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia, 2004, Improvement Bulletin. Minneapolis: Chapin Publishing Company, 1946, Lathrop, Alan. Mirmesota Architects: A Biographical Dictionary. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Massey, James C. and Shirley Maxwell. “Early Colonial Revival,” Old-House Journal, McAlester, Virignia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfied A. Knopf, 1996. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 28Morgan, William. The Abrams Guide to American House Styles, New York: Harty N. Abrams, 2008. Polk, R. L Little Sketches of Big Folks, Minnesota, St. Paul: R. L. Polk, 1907. Mead & Hunt, “Historic Resources Inventory: Historic Resources in the Loring Park and Elliot Park Neighborhoods, Re-survey of Lowry Hill East Neighborhood,” Prepared for the City of Minneapolis, 2008. Mead & Hunt, “Lowry Hill East Neighborhood of Minneapolis: Historic Resources Inventory,” Prepared for the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association, 2005. Minneapolis City Directories, various publishers, 1875-1945. Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis Tribune, Minneapolis Star Tribune, various issues. Pearson, Majorie, “South Minneapolis: An Historic Context.” Hess, Roise and Company, August 2000. Pierson, William, H. Ir. American Buildings and Their Architects: The Colonial and Neoclassical ‘Style. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970. Pierson, William, H. Jr. The Colonial and Neoclassical Styles. New York: Doubleday, 1970. Rhoads, William B., “The Colonial Revival and American Nationalism,” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (December 1976), 239-254, Rifkind, Carole, A Field Guide to American Architecture. New York: New American Library, 1980. Roth, Leland M. A Concise History of American Architecture. New York: Harper & Row, 1980. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Schmid, Calvin P. Social Saga of Two Cities: An Ecological and Stauistical study of Sociat Trends in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Council of Social Agencies, Bureau of Social Research, 1937. Scully, Vincent J., Jr. The Shingle Style and the Stick Style: Architectural Theory and Design {fiom Richardson tothe Origin of Wright. Rev. ed, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1971 Shutter, Marion D., ed. History of Minneapolis: Gateway 1o the Northwest. Chicago: S.J. Clark Publishing Co., 1923. Sluss, Jacqueline and Thomas Zahn, “Context: Architecture 1848 to Present.” Prepared for City of Minneapolis Preservation Plan, 1990, ‘Theobald, Mary Miley. “The Colonial Revival: The Past that Never Dies.” Colonial Williamsburg Journal, Summer 2002. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 29Upton, Dell and John Michael Vlach, ed. Common Places: Readings in American Vernacular Architecture. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1986. Wamer, George, and Charles M, Foote, eds. History of Hennepin County and the City of ‘Minneapolis. Minneapolis: North Star, 1881 Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780: A Guide to the Styles. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1969. Williams, J. Fletcher. History of Hennepin County, Minnesota. Minneapolis: North Star Publishing Company, 1881, Wilson, Richard Guy, Shaun Eyring and Kenny Marotta, eds., Reorearing the American Past: Essays on the Colonial Revival. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2006 Worcester, Michael. “John Orth: Hennepin County's Pioneer Brewer,” 1992. In Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis Collection. Zellie, Carole. “The Wedge Neighborhood of Minneapolis: Lowry Hill East Historie Context Study.” Prepared by Landscape Research for the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association, 2005, Collections Hennepin County Library-Minneapolis Collection, Minneapolis. Hennepin History Museum, Minneapolis. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul Northwest Architectural Archives-University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 307.0 APPENDIX Fig. 18, Sanborn Insurance Map Co,1912, Vol. 6, Sheet 609. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 31f Fig. 19, Sanbora Ensurance Map Co, 1912, with 1952 revisions, Val. 6, Sheet 609. 2320 Colfax Avenue South Landscape Research LLC 32