HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-12-16 PACKET 04.O.�EQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTidN COUNCIL AGENdA
tJIEETiNG ITE� #
DATE 12/16/98 �{ . (1 �
PREPP,RED BY Cammunity Development Kim Lindquist
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT STAFF AUTHOR
t R£ S! S B 4 4! S R i �h R E 4 Y 4 9 4@ 9t�k A R R 4 M M R M A M A M O 4 4 R O 0& 4 4 4♦
COUi�CIL ACTION REQUEST
Designate the Robert's House, 8348 Keats Avenue South, as an historic site in the City
Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks.
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Accept the revised Preservation Planning Report dated December 16, 1998, and adopt a
resolutiori placing property at 8348 Keats Avenue South on the City's Register of Historic Sites
and Landmarks.
BUDGET IP�IPLICATION $ N/A $ tV/A N/R
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DENIED
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9 December 1998
TO: J McCool, Senior Planner
obert Vogel, City Fiistoric Preservation Officer
Ciiy Register Nourinations
I haue made the necessary revisions to the preservation planning reports for designating the
Roberts House and the Hill-Gibson House as Historic Sites. Both reports reflect contributions
made by property owners, city staf� and outside peer reviewers since the 18 November 1998
public hearings. The changes are all minor and do not substantially alter the original findings and
recommendations.
The dratt resolutions have aLso been re-written to reflect the comments of our peer reviewers.
Unfortunately, I have not yet received written comments from the Minnesota Historical Society.
By state statute, Mfi3 must comment on ail locai historic site designations. The Society's historic
preservation staff haue assured me thaY their agency supports the Roberts and Hill-Gibson City
Register designations and that the official agency comment letter is "in the mail" — I hope to
receive, the letter before the Council meeting on the 16th.
Call me (651-60401'75) if you have any questions about the report documents or the registration
process.
RESOLUTION NO. 98-XXX
RESO�UTION TO DESIGNATE THE ROBERTS HOUSE, 8348 KEATS AVENUE SOUTH
AS AN HISTORIC SITE IN THE CITY REGISTER OF H{STORIC S{TES AND �ANDMARKS
WHEREAS, the Roberts House, 8348 Keats Avenue South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, has
been nominated to the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks by the Advisory Committee on
Historic Preservation; and
WHEREAS, the Roberts House has been evaluated as historicaliy significant and determined
eligible for listing in the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks on the basis of its architectural
design values; and
WHEREAS, the Roberts House retains historic integrity of those features necessary to convey
its significance; and
WHEREAS, on November 18, 1998, the City Councii of the City of Cottage Grove held a
pubiic hearing on the matter listing the Roberts House in the City Register of Historic Sites and
Landmarks.
t�OW THEREFORE BE IT RES�L!/ED, the �ity ��ur��il Af the �ity of �;ottage Grove, County
of Washington, Sfate of MinnesaYa, does hereby designate the Roberts House, 8348 Keats Avenue
South as an Historic Site pursuant to §13A-4 of the City Code.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by this resolution the City Council accepts and adopts the
Preservation Planning Report of December 16, 1998, and as submitted by the City's Historic
Preservation Officer, as the offcial registration document. This report also contains design review
and treatment recommendations that will help guide design review decisions in relation to the
Roberts House Historic Site under §13A-7 of the City Code.
Passed this 16th day of December, 1998.
John D. Denzer, Mayor
Attest:
Caron M. Stransky, City Clerk
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HOUSE, 8348 KEATS AVE. SO.
TO THE CITY REGISTER OF HISTORIC
SITES AND LANDMARKS
Prepared by Robert C. Vogel
City Historic Preservation Officer
Submitted to and approved by
the Cottage Grove City Council
December 16, 1998
INTRODUCTION
This preservation planning report was prepared by Robert C. Vogel, City Historic Preservation
Officer, and presents documentation supporting the nominaCion of the Roberts House to the City
Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks pursuant to City Code § 13A-4. The City Register of
Historic Sites and Landmarks is the official list of buildings, sites, structures, objecYs and
districts significant in CotYage Grove history, architecture, areheology, engineering, and culture.
In general, Yhe forn�at of the report follows the National Register of Historic Places Registration
Form data elements and terminology. (For guidance, see National Register Bulletin 16A: How tc
Complete the Naiional Register Registration Form.)
Many individuals made valuable contributions to the preparation of the report. Members of the
Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation assisted with documenting the property and made
a number of useful suggestions during the evaluation and registration process. We are grateful for
the cooperation and assistance of Linnea and Kip Sundgaard, the cunent owners of the Roberts
House; and to the staff of the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office who provided helpful
comments on historic site planning.
ADMINISTRATNE DA"I'A
Name of Property
The historic name of the property is the Roberts House, also known as the Sundgaard House. It
has been assigned file number WA-CGC-063 in the Cottage Grove historic resources inventory.
Locatio❑
The historic site occupies the rectangular-shaped lot which forms part of the NE%< SEY> NW'/< of
Section I5, Township 27 North, Range 21 West. The street address is 8348 Keats Avenue South
[Fig. 1 ].
Ownership
The property is owned by Kip G. and Linnea Sundgaard, 8348 Keats Avenue South, Cottage
Grove, MN 55016; telephone (651) 459-7261.
Acreage
The historic site covers approximately 5 acres.
Boundaries
The historic site is includes all of parcel number 15-027-21-14-000, being the anYire area
Roberts House - page 1
historically associated wiYh the Roberts House that was not subdivided.
Zoning
The property is zoned AG-1 (agricultural preserve).
Resource Category
For preservation planning purposes, the Roberts House is categorized as an historic building.
Number of Historic Resources WiYhin the ProPerty
The property nominated to the City Register consists of a main resource (the house), a major
eontributing resource (the barn), and two minor contributing resources (the chicken coop and
garagel. ,
Historic Function
The Roberts House was originally constructed for domestic use as a single-family dwelling.
Current Function
The property remains in residentiai use as a single-family dwelling.
Preservation Planning Background
The Roberts House was identified by the Cottage Grove cultural resources survey in 1987-88 and
evaluated as locally significant. Further documentation was obtained during intensive surveys in
1988 and 1989.
The Advisory Committee or. Histaric Preserva:ian determined the Rabe:;s Hause eligible for
listing in Che City Register of HisYoric SiYes and Landmarks and issued its finding of significance
on September 1, 1992.
A pubiic hearing on the nomination of the Rc�berts House ta the CrEy R��ister of Historic Sites
and Landmarks was held before the City Council on November 18, 1998. As required by state
statute, a copy of the Preservation Planning Report was submitted to the State Historic
Preservation Office of the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment. Resolution 98-
xxx, listing the Roberts House in the City Register and accepting the Preservation Planning
Report, was passed on December 16, 1998.
Roberts House - page 2
DESCRIPTION
Architectural Ciassificatiou
For planning purposes, the Roberts House is classif ed as a vernacular coftage of tl�e American
Four-Square or "Corn Belt Cube" type (see Nationa] Register Bulletin 31: Surveyirig and
Evaluating Vernacular Architecture, page 30).
Narrative Description
The Roberts House is a two-story, wood frame, vemacular farmhouse located on a large wooded
lot (a fornier farmstead) on the eastern edge of the urban service area. The house has a massed
square ground plan which measures 26 by 26 feet, with small appendages on the north and rear
sides. The house is a full two stories in height and is covered by a pyramidal hipped roo£ The
walls are covered with narrow beveled weatherboard siding. There is a centrally placed hip-
roofed dormer on the principal (east) elevation which provides natural lighting for the centrai
stairway. There is also a one-story solarium, measuring 8 by 16 feet, on the north side of the
house and a small enclosed back porch. Open decks extend across both the front and rear facades.
The house sits upon a raised basement which incorporates the coursed limestone rubbte
foundation of a nineteenth century farmhouse. Built from a mass-produced, standardized plan
and soundly constructed with durable materials, the house was built with modern plumbing and
heating systems and represents one of the first "modern" houses built in the area. The design of
the interior rooms reflects the influence of the Arts and Crafrs movement and the original floor
plan has been retained by the present owners.
The house fronts east onto Keats Avenue (County Road 19A} and is susounded on the norch,
west, and south by medium-density suburban residential development; land use to the east
remains agricultural. The front part of the lot is fairly devel, but behind the house the ground
surface falls away rapidty across a narrow intermittent drainageway before rising to the tevel of
the surrounding glacial outwash plain. The house is sunounded by mature hardwood trees and
sluubs, with stone sidewalks connecting it with the garage and garden patches.
Three traditional wooden outbuildings complete the ensemble at the Roberts House. The three-
leve] gabled barn attracts attention is a notable example of the basement barn type. It is a timber
framed structure set into the side of a low hill more than 300 feet west of the house and measures
40 by 60 feet. The walls are covered with 11-inch boazd-and-batten siding and the roof retains its
original sawn wood shingles. The basement walls were originally coursed limestone rubble,
partially replaced with poured concrete and concrete block. Above the basement entry is a stone
with a carved inscription (partially obscured) bearing the date "1893" (possibly ° 1895"). A 16 by
24 foot poultry house and a 20 by 28 foot automobile garage stand nearer to the house.
A general outline of the history of the Roberts farmstead has been reconstructed from plats, tax
Roberts House - page 3
records, census data a�zd oral history sources. The present house was built in 1929 for famier
Harry L. Roberts (1880-1974) and his wife Pearle K. Roberts (18$4-1968). The house occupies
the site of the original Roberts family homestead, established by pioneer Richard Roberts (1831-
1911) and his wife Anna (1841-1926) shortly after the Civil War. Roberts, a native of New York,
immigrated to Minnesota in a1855 and served in the anny during the Civil War. According to
family tradition, when Harry married Pearle, he razed the old farmhouse in order to present his
�vife with a moden� dweiling. Both Harry and Pearle are buried in the Cottage Grove Cemetery.
Coudition
The Roberts House is in an excellent state of preservation. The bam, chicken coop, and garage
are in fair condition.
EVALUATION
Applicable City Register Criteria
The Roberts House has been evaluated as eligible for listing in the City Register of Historic Sites
and Landmarks because it meets the following criteria contained in Chapter 13A of the City
Code:
Its character, interesf, or value as part of the history or cultural heritage of the city, Che
sCate or the United States (13A-4(a});
Its embodimenC of distinguishing characteristics of azchitecture type or sYyle, or elements
of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship (13A-4(d)).
Areas of Significance
The Roberts House is significant in the area of architectural history.
Period of Significance
The property attained historical and architectural significance when iY was eonsCructed in 1929.
Architect/Builder
The Roberts House was probably not designed by a professionally trained architect and the
names of the builder or contractor are not known.
Historic Context
The Roberts House is significant within the local historic context, "Agriculture and Rural Life,
Roberts Aouse - page 4
I870 to 1940," as outlined in the city historic preservation plan.
Narrative Statement of Significance
The Roberts House is significant as an outstanding example of early twentieth century vernacular
cottage architecture. It is one of the best preserved rural examples of the American Four-Square
house type in Cottage Grove, exhibiting skilled craftsmanship and durable materials. Wifhin the
context of architectural history, the house embodies the pattern language of late nineteenth and
early twentieth cenCUry Midwestern vemacular cottage movement and clearly illustrates the
disfinctive characteristies that define Che "Com Belt Cube" house type. Secondarily, the Roberts
House relates to the cultural heritage of the family farm as the dominant landscape element in
Cottage Grove during the first half of the twentieth century.
Related Historic Properties
Although the Roberts House has been nominated for individual listing in the City Register, it is
related historioally and architecturally to the following Cottage Grove historic properties: the
Eimer Furber House (WA-CGC-027) the Hoffman-Perkins House (WA-CGC-029), the John
Henry Bailey House (WA-CGG032), and the George Bahls House (WA-CGC-048).
Bibliography
How to Complete the National Register Registration Form. National Register Bulletin 16A.
Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1991.
Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1895, 1905 (microfilm). Minnesota Historical
Society, SY. Paul.
Plat Book of the State ofMinnesota. Minneapolis: W. W. Hixon, ] 916.
Plat Book of Washington County, Minnesota. Minneapolis: Northwestern Publishing Co., 1901.
Sundgaard, Linnea and Kip. Interview with Robert C. Vogel. 7une, 1994 (videotape). On file,
Fiistoric Preservation Division, City of Cottage Grove.
Surveying and Evaluating Vernacular Architecture. National Register Bulletin 31 (draft).
Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, [1987].
U.S. Bureau of the Census. Federal Population Schedules, 9th and lOth censuses of the United
States, 1870, 1880 (microfilm). Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
Roberts House - page 5
DESIGN REVIEW AND TREATMEtVT RECOMMENDATIONS
The preferred preservation treatment of the Roberts House is preservation in place to sustain
the existing fom�, integrity, and materials. Small additions and minor alterations wl�ich have
an historical basis should not be discouraged.
2. The distinguishirig �rchitectural features which give the l�ouse its historic character are its
ground plan (simple square with less than room-sized projecYions), number of stories (two),
and roof shape (pyramidal hipped); of secondary importance is the pattern of facade
fenest'raYion (symmetrical), tl�e window/door arrangement of the principal facade and the
wall cladding material (nanow weatherboard). Other chazacter-defining elements include the
dormer, solarium, and porches.
The Roberts barn represents a distinctive and distinguishable historic entity in its own right
and-contributes importantly to the historic character of the house. Every reasonable effort
should be made to stabilize and rehabilitate the barn. A compatible reuse should be found
for the building that requires minimal alteration of its distinguishing architectural
chazacteristics.
4. Distinctive interior design features and examples of skilled craftsmanship should be treated
with sensitivity.
Deteriorated outbuildings should be repaired rather than replaced. ff repiacement is
necessary, the new construction should be compatible with the historic house in size, scale,
material, and visual qualities.
Roberts Aouse - page 6
Fig. l. Map showing the location of the Roberts House Historic Site.
Miles
p 1 2
Roberts House - page 7
Fig. Z. View ofRoberts House (east elevation).
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Roberts Aouse - page S
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Roberts House - page 12
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